Franchising in Greece: training before the first opening

A successful business is not automatically ready to teach others how it operates. Before welcoming your first franchisee into the network, you need initial training with clearly defined content, practical exercises and measurable outcomes. The aim is not to clock up attendance hours, but to ensure the new team can run the outlet without constantly relying on the founder.

1. Turn experience into specific skills

Start with what the franchisee needs to do in practice, rather than what you want to present. An ‘introduction to our philosophy’ may be useful at the outset, but it does not demonstrate operational readiness. By contrast, fulfilling an order correctly, handling a complaint and cashing up are observable tasks.

Create a skills matrix for each role. The franchisee needs to understand how to manage the outlet and monitor its financial performance. The store manager must be able to organise shifts and address departures from expected standards. Employees need training in the tasks they will actually perform. Not everyone needs to attend every session.

For each skill, record:

• who needs to acquire it,
• who demonstrates it and who assesses its application,
• where practice takes place,
• what observable evidence demonstrates competence,
• which mistakes require further training.

Use real incidents from your existing business. A product return or equipment failure reveals more than a presentation showing only an ideal working day.

2. Plan hands-on practice, not just attendance

Your existing outlet can serve as a training venue, provided training is not confused with covering day-to-day staffing needs. Appoint a trainer and set aside time for demonstrations, practice and feedback. An experienced employee is not necessarily available or prepared to teach while serving customers.

A practical training pathway includes preparation before arriving at the outlet, supervised practice and a final exercise with limited intervention from the trainer. Exercises might include taking delivery of goods, starting a shift, handling a difficult request and completing end-of-day procedures. Adapt them to the actual demands of your business.

Test the programme with someone who is not already familiar with your internal routines. If the trainer constantly needs to add verbal explanations, the materials or teaching sequence may need revising. Do not attribute every difficulty to the trainee.

Check your capacity too: how many people can you train at once without compromising the outlet’s operation? Align new opening dates with that capacity. Before trainees take part in real operational tasks, seek advice on the relevant employment, insurance and health requirements.

3. Agree the framework before signing

Greece has no specific law comprehensively regulating franchising as a distinct type of contract. There is no dedicated register of franchisors or mandatory, standardised pre-contractual disclosure document. Franchise agreements are governed primarily by the general provisions of the Greek Civil Code on contracts and obligations, including the principles of good faith and pre-contractual liability. Mandatory rules of Greek and EU law also apply, depending on the agreement and the business activity.

This means initial training needs to be clearly described in the contract, rather than simply covered by a sales promise of ‘comprehensive preparation’. Specify who attends, where training takes place, who pays for travel and accommodation, and whether it is included in the initial fee. Clarify the arrangements for replacing a participant or providing additional training sessions.

If successful completion is a condition of opening, this must be made clear before commitments are entered into. The contract needs to explain the criteria, the retraining process and the possible consequences of delay. Have the terms legally reviewed to ensure that assessment does not become an open-ended right to postpone the opening or exclude the franchisee.

4. Assess using evidence and provide a route to reassessment

Distinguish between confirming attendance and assessing competence. Attending every session does not prove that someone can perform critical tasks correctly. Use a consistent observation checklist, record specific findings and give the participant a copy of the feedback. Internal assessment does not replace any legally required professional qualifications or certifications.

Where there are gaps, set out targeted retraining: which task needs practice, who will help and how it will be reassessed. Avoid sweeping judgements such as ‘they do not fit our culture’ when the real issue is a specific skill that can be taught.

After the first opening, compare the problems that arose with what was covered in training. If the same failures recur, revise the programme before training the next team.

Practical takeaway: Before committing to an opening date, prepare a skills matrix, a practical training programme and an agreed assessment process. This makes training a verifiable preparation process, rather than an attendance formality.