How to Start a HoneyBaked Ham Franchise in 7 Steps: Checklist

Sources: 2026 FDD cover; Item 11, pp. 23–27; Area Development Agreement §§5.1–5.2; FTC Franchise Rule Compliance Guide. The federal interval uses calendar days, not business days.

HoneyBaked does not publish a universal credit-score, liquid-capital, net-worth, education, restaurant-experience, or background-check minimum in the 2026 FDD. The agreements state that HBH relies in part on the applicant’s experience, integrity, and financial stability, and multi-unit rights depend on both the applicant and proposed area meeting HBH’s qualifications. Meeting any marketing-page threshold would not itself constitute approval.

The candidate should expect to identify every direct and indirect owner, operating entity, proposed Store Operator, development area, and intended number of Stores. Before HBH provides confidential System information, the candidate must sign the Confidentiality Agreement. If the franchisee is an entity, each present or future owner holding at least 10% must sign the Covenant and Guaranty of Owners; HBH may also require a spouse, domestic partner, or immediate family member of a guarantor to sign.

Source: 2026 FDD, Item 1, pp. 1–2; Item 15, p. 37; Area Development Agreement §§8.4 and 9.2; Franchise Agreement §§19.4 and 20.2.

The process is agreement-led, not a generic discovery-to-grand-opening funnel. A candidate first enters the sales process, then receives disclosure, signs the Area Development Agreement, obtains written site acceptance, completes the store-specific Franchise Agreement and real-estate package, develops the premises, completes training, and obtains opening approval.

Sources: 2026 FDD, Items 1, 5, 8, 9 and 11; Area Development Agreement §§2.1, 3, 5 and 6; Franchise Agreement §§5, 8, 10, 12 and 14.

No. The 5–10 month figure is HBH’s typical estimate from Franchise Agreement signing to opening. The day-based intervals below start from different events, often overlap, and must not be summed into a buyer-specific opening date.

The Development Area is the geographic area in the Area Development Agreement where the developer must locate the scheduled Store or Stores. Site acceptance is HBH’s written approval of a proposed location. Lease review tests the real-estate document against required provisions. The Protected Territory is negotiated and stated in the store-specific Franchise Agreement; it is not created by the ADA or by site approval.

The lease must include the then-current lease addendum or comparable required terms, cover only the Store site, give HBH notice and cure or assumption rights, support the Franchise Agreement term, permit prescribed Marks and signage, restrict amendments without HBH consent, and provide suitable parking for a refrigerated truck. Local zoning, building, utility, health, sanitation and sign approvals remain third-party dependencies.

Source: 2026 FDD, Items 8, 11 and 12, pp. 17–20 and 23–34; Area Development Agreement §5.2; Franchise Agreement §§5.1–5.5 and Exhibit A.

At least two people must complete the year-round Store program to HBH’s satisfaction: the franchisee or an equity owner, and the Store Operator. If that owner is also the Store Operator, one additional key employee must attend. Each participant signs the Training Participation and Nondisclosure Agreement, and ServSafe completion certificates must reach HBH before opening.

Phase One combines virtual learning with 15 days at a Certified Training Store. Phase Two is three days of onboarding and virtual learning, principally in Alpharetta, Georgia. Phase Three provides 50–70 on-the-job hours at the new Store leading through opening. The franchisee, not HBH, hires and trains associates using approved tools; HBH decides whether training and opening readiness are satisfactory.

No. A Seasonal Store is an add-on format supported by a year-round Primary Store. It sells products supplied by that Primary Store, must open at least for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter as required by the FOM, and cannot be transferred separately from the Primary Store. Its Franchise Agreement is modified by the Seasonal Store Addendum.

Source: 2026 FDD, Item 1, pp. 1–2; Item 7, pp. 13–17; Item 11, p. 27; Seasonal Store Addendum §§2–4. Item 7 square footage is a planning assumption, not a promise that HBH will accept a site.

The most consequential dates are the Site Acceptance Deadline and Opening Deadline written in the Development Schedule. Missing the first can allow HBH to terminate the ADA and retain the Development Fee. Failing to open a Store by the scheduled deadline can constitute a default under both the ADA and Franchise Agreement; HBH may terminate and retain the Franchise Fee. The FDD does not provide a universal extension right, so any extension must be verified in the signed documents and written approval.

Training can also move the critical path. Phase One may be extended if trainees do not pass the Training Checklist. An opening more than 75 days after Phase Two requires a one-week refresher at an approved Certified Training Store, at the franchisee’s cost, and HBH may determine that an additional trainer is necessary. These are separate from permit or construction delays, which do not automatically change the Development Schedule.

Source: 2026 FDD, Items 6, 11 and 17; Area Development Agreement §§5.1, 6.1 and Exhibit A; Franchise Agreement §§5.5, 12 and 16.

Opening readiness is a documented status, not merely completed construction. The following checklist separates franchisee deliverables, HBH acceptance, and outside approvals. It should be reconciled with the current FOM, the signed Development Schedule, state addenda, landlord documents, and local authority requirements.

Sources: 2026 FDD, Items 8, 11, 15, 17 and 20; Franchise Agreement §§5, 10, 12 and 14; Exhibit J franchisee lists.