How does the Cousins Subs opening process work?
Cousins Subs Systems, Inc. states that franchisees typically open 6 to 12 months after signing the Franchise Agreement. This is an estimate, not a guaranteed completion date. The contract separately requires the Shop to begin operating within 12 months unless Cousins approves another deadline in writing, while site, landlord, permitting, construction, supplier, training, and staffing dependencies can still control the actual sequence.
Before a binding agreement or covered payment.
After the Qualification and Deposit Agreement.
After a complete submission and physical inspection.
Unless another date is approved in writing.
What must a candidate qualify for before Cousins awards a franchise?
Cousins evaluates the applicant and proposed Designated Managers for personal abilities, aptitude, financial qualifications, background, and credit. The Confidential Qualification Form asks for ownership, employment and business history, assets and liabilities, available investment cash, desired territory, intended opening timing, bankruptcy, criminal, and civil-case information. The form authorizes verification, but the 2026 FDD does not publish a universal one-unit minimum credit score, net worth, liquidity threshold, education requirement, or restaurant-experience mandate.
The official Cousins Subs Costs & Criteria page asks whether the candidate has restaurant or franchise experience and plans personal involvement or a strong general manager. It also publishes $1,000,000 net worth and $250,000 liquidity for a three-store development. Those website figures should be confirmed for the applicant's entity and proposed commitment; meeting them does not require Cousins to approve or award a franchise.
The Qualification and Deposit Agreement starts an evaluation; it does not commit Cousins to award a franchise. Cousins may require up to 50 unpaid observation hours at a designated Shop, and that observation does not count toward initial training.
What are the steps from initial inquiry to opening?
Action: Complete the Confidential Qualification Form and disclose the proposed ownership, financial profile, managers, market, and background.
Actor: Applicant and each relevant owner.
Blocker: Incomplete or unverifiable information can prevent evaluation or award.
Action: Review the FDD, Franchise Agreement, applicable state addenda, guaranty, Lease Addendum, and any Multi-Unit Development Agreement.
Timing: At least 14 calendar days before signing a binding agreement or making a covered payment.
Next: Resolve entity, format, territory, and agreement questions before paying the application deposit.
Action: Sign the Qualification and Deposit Agreement, pay the $2,500 deposit, authorize checks, and complete any required Shop observation.
Timing: Cousins states it will evaluate the submitted qualifications within 60 days.
Blocker: A qualified applicant who withdraws does not receive the deposit back; a rejected applicant's refund requires a general release.
Action: Execute the Franchise Agreement and owner guaranties; a multi-unit developer also signs the Multi-Unit Development Agreement and the first Shop agreement.
Actor: Approved franchisee entity, owners, and Cousins.
Blocker: Multi-unit dates are contract-specific; later Shop agreements are then-current forms.
Action: Find the site, submit its description and photographs, support Cousins' physical inspection, and obtain written approval before leasing or purchasing.
Timing: Written decision within 15 business days after submission and inspection.
Next: Obtain lease approval and a fully executed Lease Addendum from the landlord.
Action: Submit survey and plan changes, obtain zoning and construction approvals, follow approved plans and codes, install specified equipment and signs, and secure lien waivers.
Actors: Franchisee, landlord, architect, contractor, suppliers, utilities, and government authorities.
Blocker: Local reviews, construction, utility work, and deliveries are third-party dependencies.
Action: Send the owner or Designated Managers to initial training, pass operator testing and food-safety certification, hire and train staff, activate required systems, and buy approved inventory.
Timing: Minimum 25 days, normally scheduled 8 to 14 weeks before anticipated opening.
Blocker: Failed certification requires additional training and may jeopardize the agreement.
Action: Hold required permits and approvals, complete improvements, staff the Shop, stock initial inventory, and satisfy Cousins' operating standards before opening.
Timing: Open within 12 months after Franchise Agreement execution unless Cousins approves another date in writing.
Next: Cousins provides disclosed opening support, but assistance is not a substitute for opening readiness.
Which disclosed business-day periods affect the opening sequence?
These periods use business days, but they have different triggers and must not be added into one total opening duration.
Interpretation: site review starts only after Cousins has both the submission and physical inspection; training is a minimum program; post-opening support occurs within the first 30 days of operation. Source: 2026 FDD, Item 11, pp. 22-30; Franchise Agreement §§4.A and 7.
Does the opening process change for single-unit, multi-unit, or non-traditional development?
The same brand standards, site approval, operating systems, training, and individual Shop opening obligations generally apply, but the governing agreement and development consequences differ. Cousins may allow a Shop in combination with an existing business or another non-traditional location only in limited instances based on suitability; that is not a separate automatic right.
- Agreement
- One Franchise Agreement, plus owner guaranties and location documents.
- Site path
- A location may be inserted at signing or approved later.
- Main deadline
- Approved site and operating commencement remain subject to the 12-month provisions.
- Agreement
- Multi-Unit Development Agreement plus the first Shop's Franchise Agreement at or before signing.
- Commitment
- Three to ten Shops in select markets under a negotiated Development Schedule.
- Main distinction
- Later Shop agreements are due within five business days after written site approval; schedule default can end development rights.
- Availability
- Limited, site-specific permission for suitable combined, adjacent, or captive-market locations.
- Agreement
- The standard Franchise Agreement generally applies unless Cousins documents a variation.
- Main distinction
- Multi-unit territory rights exclude Non-Traditional Venues unless Cousins gives separate written consent.
A Management Agreement is only a possible additional path when the developer commits to at least five Shops and both parties agree that Cousins will oversee day-to-day operations. It is not promised merely because the unit count is met. Source: 2026 FDD, Items 1 and 15; Exhibits C and D.
What must happen between site selection and construction completion?
The franchisee selects and controls the real-estate transaction. Cousins must approve the site, proposed lease terms, and required Lease Addendum before the franchisee commits to the premises. Cousins uses reasonable efforts to assist with market and site feasibility, and its official territory page describes corporate assistance with site selection and buildout management, but the Franchise Agreement controls the exact obligation and does not make Cousins responsible for securing the site.
Written site approval means Cousins believes the site meets its minimum criteria at the time reviewed. A compliant traditional Shop generally receives a one-mile Market Area, but central business districts and Non-Traditional Venues are exceptions, and other Shops or delivery providers may serve customers inside the area.
The franchisee must use approved specifications and sources for equipment, fixtures, signs, food, inventory, technology, and other required products. The POS and certain computer hardware and software are leased from Cousins under the Equipment Lease Agreement. A proposed alternative product or supplier may take up to 90 days to review after all requested information is received, so substitutions should not be treated as a fast workaround.
Who must train, certify, and sign off before the Shop opens?
Personal day-to-day supervision by the owner is not mandatory. The Shop must instead be supervised by the franchisee or two full-time Designated Managers who satisfy Cousins' operator certification requirements. The franchisee must identify those managers, and Cousins may require them to hold an equity interest and sign confidentiality covenants.
Cousins provides a minimum 25-day initial program at its corporate office, another certified location, or virtually, as Cousins determines. Up to four people may attend without a training fee, while the franchisee pays travel, lodging, meals, wages, certifications, and approved additional-attendee charges. Attendees must pass operator testing and food-safety certification; unsuccessful completion triggers additional training and can permit termination.
Which deadlines can delay or end the opening rights?
If no acceptable site is approved after Franchise Agreement signing, either party may terminate under the site provision.
The disclosed scheduling window depends on the anticipated opening date and operating-team readiness.
If the Shop has not opened within 90 days after training, a minimum three-day review is required.
Failure to open can be a default unless the agreement's stated exceptions or a written approval applies.
The developer signs each second or subsequent Shop agreement after Cousins approves that location in writing.
The dates are inserted in the Multi-Unit Development Agreement; missing them can be a non-curable development default.
The 12-month opening deadline does not convert landlord consent, financing, utility work, municipal approvals, contractor performance, equipment delivery, or employee availability into Cousins obligations. Any written extension or alternative opening date should be documented under the governing agreement rather than assumed from informal assistance.
What should a buyer verify before signing and committing to a site?
The highest-value verification points are those that change eligibility, capital timing, site control, or contractual default risk. Item 20 and Exhibits H and I identify current and former franchisees who can be asked how the documented process worked in practice, including site review, landlord negotiations, contractor coordination, training, staffing, and the pre-opening visit.
Which sources control or supplement this opening roadmap?
Contract evidence: Cousins Subs Systems, Inc. 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued March 20, 2026; Items 1, 5-12, 15-17 and 20; Franchise Agreement; Multi-Unit Development Agreement; Management Agreement; Lease Addendum; Equipment Lease Agreement; Qualification Form; Qualification and Deposit Agreement.
Official Cousins Subs franchise website - current franchise-program context.
Official Costs & Criteria page - current public screening language and three-store financial criteria.
Official Territory page - target-market and assistance context; contractual territory rights remain governed by the agreements.
Official Cousins Subs consumer website - brand and operating-channel context.
FTC Franchise Rule Compliance Guide - federal disclosure-rule guidance. The 2026 FDD states the applicable 14-calendar-day pre-signing or pre-payment period.
What is the decisive opening takeaway?
The verified Cousins Subs path is qualification and disclosure, agreement execution, written site and lease approval, approved design and buildout, certified operating leadership, supplier and system readiness, and opening within the contractual window. The FDD supplies an official typical period of 6 to 12 months, not a promise. The main applicant-controlled dependency is securing and delivering a compliant site; the central franchisor and third-party dependencies are site review, landlord acceptance, permits, construction, and delivery. The 12-month deadlines and any multi-unit Development Schedule should be verified before commitment.