Buying a Franchise in Lebanon: Agree Training and Support Before Signing

When buying a franchise in Lebanon, the phrase ‘comprehensive training and ongoing support’ may seem reason enough to favour one brand over another. Yet it tells you neither who will be trained nor what they will learn, nor who will pay for travel or retraining. In franchising, knowledge becomes genuinely valuable when it is passed on to your team in a form they can use. Scrutinise the training programme as you would any financial commitment, and make it a clearly defined schedule to the agreement rather than a promise in a sales pitch.

Understand what the law protects and what the agreement must guarantee

Lebanon has no single franchise-specific law, nor a dedicated national regime requiring a pre-contractual franchise disclosure document of the kind used in some countries. The relationship is governed primarily by the Code of Obligations and Contracts and general commercial rules, with intellectual property and consumer protection rules applying where relevant. Legislative Decree No. 34/1967, as amended, concerning commercial representation may also apply if the relationship meets its criteria; calling it a ‘franchise’ does not settle its legal classification.

This framework does not automatically entitle you to a set number of training hours or support visits. Those details must come from the agreement itself. Ask a Lebanese lawyer to review the franchisor’s obligations, the consequences of failing to fulfil them, and whether the proposed remedies are compatible with the applicable law.

Also distinguish between training in the brand’s system and training for local compliance. Explaining product recipes or customer service procedures does not mean the franchisor will train your team in the Lebanese requirements relevant to its activities. Specify who will check those requirements and who will provide the necessary training. Do not treat an internal certificate from the franchisor as a substitute for a licence or qualification required under local rules.

Turn the programme into a verifiable delivery schedule

Start by requesting an actual copy of the training programme, not a brief description in a marketing brochure. Then link each stage to the job roles covered, the topics, the delivery method and the completion criteria. The training schedule can be organised around the following elements:

• Participants: Does the programme cover the investor, manager, supervisors and staff, or only a limited number of them?
• Content: What does it cover in operations, stock management, customer service, and the use of equipment and systems?
• Delivery: Where does training take place, in which language, and is it in person or remote?
• Trainers: What experience must they have, and who provides a replacement if they are unavailable?
• Assessment: How is a trainee’s readiness measured, who issues the assessment result, and how are gaps addressed?

If operations depend on specific equipment, check that training includes hands-on practice with that equipment or comparable models, rather than demonstrations alone. Ask for samples of the learning materials and assessment report before committing.

Be wary of a clause that leaves approval of the manager entirely to the franchisor’s discretion, without written criteria. Negotiate a clearly defined test, an explained result and an opportunity for reassessment on specified terms. The aim is not to guarantee a pass regardless of performance, but to prevent approval from becoming a decision you cannot understand or plan for.

Calculate the full cost and assign responsibility for each expense

‘Training is included in the franchise fee’ does not necessarily mean that all expenses are covered. Request a breakdown showing training fees, travel, accommodation, local transport, translation, materials and equipment use. Also specify who pays for the franchisor’s trainers to travel to Lebanon, and whether there are daily allowances or expenses requiring your prior approval.

Include staff wages during training and the cost of covering their absence in your budget. Training with no tuition fee can still represent a substantial financial commitment if it takes your team away from work or involves sending several groups abroad.

Ask specifically about replacement staff. Will a new manager receive initial training on the same terms? Can an approved in-house trainer be trained to reduce reliance on travel? Document the number of training places included, how long they remain available, and the price of additional places or how that price will be determined.

It is also useful to distinguish retraining caused by a trainee’s poor performance from retraining needed because the programme was inadequate or the franchisor changed its operating tools. Negotiate a different allocation of costs depending on the cause, and protection against unagreed additional charges simply because the original programme failed to cover the promised skills.

Make ongoing support a defined service, not an open-ended phrase

After initial training, your team may need help resolving operational errors or understanding performance reports. Ask for the support channels, availability hours, language and responsible provider to be specified. Distinguish between the deadline for acknowledging a request, the time by which work on it will begin, and the target resolution time: these are separate commitments.

Agree how requests will be prioritised according to their impact, with an escalation process if they remain unaddressed. Specify whether site visits are included and what recommendations or follow-up plan they will produce. Having a named contact does not replace the company’s obligation to provide cover when that person is unavailable.

To document delivery, retain attendance records, assessments, support requests and reports. You could negotiate for part of the agreed training payment to be linked to documented completion milestones, or for replacement sessions to be provided at no charge when an agreed service is not delivered. These are contractual options, not automatic rights. Draft them with your lawyer, and do not assume you can unilaterally deduct or withhold fees.

Practical takeaway: Before signing, request three documents: a measurable training programme, a comprehensive cost schedule, and a schedule covering support and remedies. If you cannot establish what you will receive and how you will prove it was delivered, do not take the value of training and support included in the franchise price for granted.