An association of Quiznos franchisees has filed a proposed national class-action lawsuit against the Denver-based toasted-sandwich chain.
The lawsuit was filed Wed nesday in U.S. District Court in Denver by the Toasted Subs Franchisees Association. It alleges that franchisees are forced to purchase their supplies from Quiznos-approved vendors and the arrangement does not allow them to get the best prices, said Danny Kessels, president of the association.
“It’s making it uncompetitive for us,” Kessels said. “I wish it didn’t have to come to this because we are teammates and we are part of the system. It seemed like the only resolution is this lawsuit.”
Similar class-action lawsuits have been filed in several states. The franchisees are represented by New Jersey attorney Justin Klein.
Rich Emmett, Quiznos executive vice president and chief legal counsel, said he has not seen the actual complaint. He said it sounds like others Klein has filed around the country against Quiznos.
“The disappointing thing is we have made great strides in trying to improve the profitability of our franchisees, improve our communication and take costs down,” Emmett said. “Here we are trying to work on behalf of the franchisees, and he is creating a distraction to the system.”
Quiznos has more than 5,000 franchisees. Kessels declined to say how many members the association has, but Quiznos has maintained that the TSFA represents only a small fraction of its franchisees.
Tuesday, Quiznos settled a lawsuit with a Texas franchisee who agreed to sell his two stores. Klein represented the franchisee in that case.
Staff writer Elizabeth Aguilera can be reached at 303-820-1372 or eaguilera@denverpost.com.
