How long does it take to open a Tous Les Jours franchise?
The 2026 FDD estimates 10 to 12 months from Franchise Agreement execution to opening. That is not a promise: the contract separately imposes an opening deadline. The franchisee controls site search, lease, permits, construction, staffing and local approvals; the franchisor controls required site and plan approvals, training satisfaction, inspection and written opening authorization.
Calendar days before a binding agreement or covered payment.
Runs after receipt of the requested site materials.
Required trainees must complete it to franchisor satisfaction.
Owner/Designated Owner, GM, FOH manager, baker and caker.
What must an applicant qualify for before a Tous Les Jours franchise is awarded?
The public process starts with application, interview, financial review and approval. The officially linked inquiry form asks about market, net worth, liquidity, food-and-beverage operating experience and investment timing. The current franchise page publishes screening figures of $1 million net worth and $400,000 liquid assets.
Those figures are screening criteria, not a guarantee of approval. The public page does not say whether they apply per individual, ownership group or franchise entity, so applicants should confirm the measurement basis. The inquiry form asks years of food-and-beverage experience but publishes no minimum.
The FDD also requires personal-guarantee signatures. For an entity franchisee, it specifies the majority owner—or, if there is no majority owner, the two largest owners—as individual guarantors; Item 15 also states that the franchisee and spouse sign a personal guarantee.
Sources: current official franchise page and inquiry form; 2026 FDD, Item 15, pp. 41–42.
What is the opening process from initial inquiry to first day of business?
The roadmap separates candidate approval from contract execution, site approval from lease and territory, and training from written opening authorization. The FDD does not disclose where delivery of the FDD falls inside the franchisor's internal approval sequence; federal pre-sale timing still applies before signing or covered payment.
Action: Submit requested identity, market, financial and experience information.
Actor: Applicant.
Timing: No application-processing duration is disclosed.
Next: Interview and financial review.
Action: Complete the stages shown on the official franchise page.
Actor: Applicant and franchisor.
Timing: No contractual approval turnaround is disclosed.
Blocker: Approval alone is not a signed franchise award.
Action: Review the FDD, agreements, addenda and guaranties, then sign the applicable Franchise Agreement package.
Actor: Applicant/owners and franchisor.
Timing: At least 14 calendar days before binding signing or covered payment.
Next: Pay the signing-triggered non-refundable fee and proceed under the chosen path.
Action: Find a site, submit materials, obtain site approval, negotiate occupancy and obtain required lease approval.
Actor: Franchisee leads; franchisor approves.
Timing: Contract site and lease milestones apply.
Blocker: Site approval does not approve the lease, plans or opening.
Action: Use approved licensed professionals, obtain plan approval, secure permits and build to approved plans.
Actor: Franchisee, architect, contractor and authorities; franchisor reviews design compliance.
Timing: Multiple day-count milestones apply.
Blocker: Landlord work, permits, inspections and deliveries can delay readiness.
Action: Meet staffing prerequisites, complete required training, install technology and arrange required-source inventory.
Actor: Franchisee team, franchisor trainers and designated suppliers.
Timing: Training is near construction completion and before opening.
Blocker: Pre-opening obligations must be met before training can be scheduled.
Action: Deliver insurance evidence, operating approvals and certifications; pass the opening inspection.
Actor: Franchisee and third parties; franchisor determines readiness.
Timing: Notice and readiness deadlines apply.
Blocker: Failed inspection can trigger reinspection and rescheduling costs.
Action: Do not open until written approval is issued.
Actor: Franchisor authorizes; franchisee opens.
Timing: Must fit the ready-to-open window and overall opening deadline.
Blocker: Missing permits, incomplete training or required corrections prevent authorization.
Document checkpoints: the unit path uses the Franchise Agreement; owner/Designated Owner and guaranty documents are part of the signing package. After site approval, the Accepted Location Addendum documents the location and Territory. ACH authorization must be in place before opening, the ADA Certification is signed before opening, and the attached Supply Agreement should be reviewed for required-source purchasing and account setup. Multi-unit and area-development paths add their governing agreements.
Sources: FTC Franchise Rule; 2026 FDD, Items 5, 9–12 and 15; Franchise Agreement §§1.2, 4.5, 5.1–5.9 and 6.1–6.7.
Which day-count milestones shape the critical path to opening?
These are separate contractual windows with different triggers, so they are not additive. The FDD's 10–12 month estimate remains the stated typical overall interval.
Each bar shows a separate stated window and its trigger.
Interpretation: site, lease, permitting and construction work must fit the overall opening deadline. The franchisor may extend that deadline in its sole discretion; a qualifying force-majeure extension is limited to the shorter of the actual delay or 30 days. Source: 2026 FDD, Item 11, pp. 30–32; Franchise Agreement §§5.5–5.6 and 5.9.
The 365-day deadline is not the 10–12 month typical estimate. No general automatic extension right is disclosed. Failure to open can permit termination, and the initial franchise fee is not refunded merely because the unit never opens.
Who controls the work that must happen before opening?
The franchisee carries most execution responsibility. Tous Les Jours supplies standards, reviews and training, but does not take over real estate, financing, construction, permits, employees or third-party performance.
Application data; funding; site and lease; architect and contractor; permits; construction; insurance; hiring; training attendance; required purchases; inventory; marketing; certificates and readiness submissions.
Candidate review; disclosure and agreements; site, lease and design review; System Standards; supplier specifications; initial training; inspection; readiness determination and written approval to open.
Landlord; architect; contractor; insurer; lender; utilities; government authorities; inspectors; CJ Foodville USA and designated suppliers. Their approvals and delivery schedules can affect opening.
Source: 2026 FDD, Items 7, 8, 10 and 11; Franchise Agreement §§3.1–3.4 and 5.3–5.8.
How do territory, site approval, lease approval and buildout approval differ?
If no site is accepted at signing, the franchisee searches within a franchisor-specified Site Selection Area and submits the requested site package. After approval, the Accepted Location Addendum documents the location and applicable Territory. The Site Selection Area itself is not exclusive or protected, and site approval is separate from lease, design and opening approval.
The 2026 FDD describes a Traditional Bakery-Café as typically 2,500–3,500 square feet. Current public site guidelines emphasize high-visibility retail, a 2,500-square-foot minimum and recommended 3,000 square feet; these remain screening criteria. Non-Traditional Bakery-Cafés are typically smaller, and non-traditional units without a street-facing storefront accessible to the public do not receive the same limited territorial rights described for standard units.
The franchisee must use a qualified, licensed and insured architect and general contractor approved by the franchisor. Final plans require franchisor approval before landlord or government submission, while ADA, code, zoning and permit compliance remain the franchisee's responsibility.
The Franchise Agreement says the 15-day site window ends in rejection if no written disapproval is received. The Area Development Agreement instead states a 15-business-day review and then says silence after 15 days results in approval. Because the outcomes differ, confirm in writing which agreement and counting rule governs each site.
Sources: 2026 FDD, Items 7, 8, 11 and 12; Franchise Agreement §§1.2 and 5.1–5.5; Area Development Agreement §3.1.
What must be complete before written approval to open?
Training is a separate gate from opening authorization. The minimum 10-day program is scheduled near construction completion after key staff are hired, currently at designated facilities in Commerce and Brea, California, or another franchisor-designated location. Required roles attend together and must complete training to the franchisor's satisfaction. The franchisor may also require designated employees to complete third-party programs, including ServSafe food-safety training.
After construction is complete, the franchisee must obtain operating permits and, after written approval, open within 30 days of construction completion. Separately, the contract requires opening within five days after the franchisor says the Bakery-Café passed inspection and is ready, unless circumstances beyond the franchisee's control apply.
The FDD describes opening assistance, while the agreement preserves discretion over its form and permits remote delivery. Assistance does not replace inspection or written authorization. A failed initial inspection can trigger additional inspection and travel/rescheduling costs.
Sources: 2026 FDD, Items 8, 10 and 11; Franchise Agreement §§4.5, 5.6–5.7 and 6.1–6.7. The franchisor does not offer direct or indirect financing or guarantee franchisee notes or leases.
How do multi-unit and area-development agreements change the schedule?
Every Bakery-Café still needs its own Franchise Agreement and unit-level site, buildout, training and opening approvals. The additional agreements create development schedules and consequences for unopened units.
| Path | Contract structure | Opening-process difference |
|---|---|---|
| Single unit | One Franchise Agreement | One Accepted Location and one unit-level opening authorization process. |
| Multi-unit | Multiple Franchise Agreements plus Multi-Unit Addendum | Appendix B requires site approval and a lease/purchase for units one, two and three by 180, 365 and 540 days. Missed milestones can expose unopened agreements to termination. |
| Area development | Area Development Agreement plus a Franchise Agreement per unit | The completed Minimum Performance Schedule controls openings. The blank form provides no universal unit count or dates. |
The Area Development Agreement grants development rights, not the right to operate under the Marks; each unit needs its own Franchise Agreement, and at least one Franchise Agreement is signed concurrently with the Area Development Agreement. For a later approved site, the Area Development Agreement requires return of the then-current Franchise Agreement within 10 days of delivery or the site approval becomes void, subject to applicable franchise-disclosure requirements. A unit is treated as developed only when its Franchise Agreement is signed and it has commenced operations.
Development-area protection is conditional on compliance. Buyers should verify the completed Minimum Performance Schedule, mapped Development Area, disclosure timing for later unit agreements, and consequences of missed milestones before signing.
Sources: 2026 FDD, Items 1, 5 and 12; Multi-Unit Addendum §§1–5 and Appendix B; Area Development Agreement §§1.1–1.6, 3.1–3.3, 6 and 9, plus Exhibit A.
What should a buyer verify before signing and before opening?
The FTC consumer guide to buying a franchise recommends reviewing the FDD and speaking with current and former franchisees; Tous Les Jours lists them in Item 20 and Exhibits F and G.
What is the practical opening takeaway for a Tous Les Jours prospect?
The verified path is application and financial review, federal disclosure review, the correct agreement package, Accepted Location and lease approval, approved design, permitting and buildout, staffing and training, systems and supply setup, final certificates and inspection, then written opening authorization.
The total timeline is an official 10–12 month typical estimate, not a guaranteed schedule. The key applicant-controlled dependency is securing and developing an approvable site. The key franchisor/third-party dependencies are approvals, permits, deliveries, training and inspection. The central contractual deadline is 365 days after the Franchise Agreement Effective Date; multi-unit and area-development buyers must also verify their completed development schedule and path-specific site-response clause.