FDD Items 3 & 4 · 2025 filing
Graze Craze litigation history
What Graze Craze disclosed about lawsuits, arbitrations and bankruptcy in the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 3 lists the material legal actions a franchisor must report; Item 4 covers bankruptcy. This is the franchisor's own disclosure, not a court record, and not legal advice.
Items 3 (litigation) & 4 (bankruptcy) at a glance
What the filing discloses
- Cases disclosed
- 6
- Item 3, as counted in the filing
- Largest settlement, franchisor's own cases
- None stated
- Bankruptcy (Item 4)
- None
- Franchisor, parent, predecessor or officer
- Filing year
- 2025
- Disclosures cover the prior ten years
Extracted from the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document
Item 3: litigation
Two pending cases involving GCZ's VP of Operations Max Gonzalez related to prior employer Mac and Cheese Franchise Operations (Indiana admin proceeding and Florida civil lawsuit). Four restrictive orders: FTC/Signarama (1993/1998), Maryland/Signarama (1996), California/TGG (2021), California/TGG+GCZ+UFG (2022 trade show violations).
Item 3 (litigation) · 6 matters disclosed · 2 pending listed
Litigation cases
The franchisor
Concluded (1)
In the Matter of: The Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation v. Great Greek Franchising, LLC and UFG Group, Inc. dba United Franchise Group
concludedGovernment or regulatory action · filed 2022 · California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation
“The following orders relates solely to TGG, GCZ and UFG: In March 2022, TGG, GCZ, and UFG entered into consent orders with the State of California, and its Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, as it relates to alleged violations which occurred at a trade show in California.”Page 18 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Parent, affiliates, master franchisor and subfranchisor
Concluded (3)
In the Matter of: The Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation v. Great Greek Franchising, LLC
concludedGovernment or regulatory action · Great Greek Franchising, LLC (TGG, our affiliate) · filed 2021 · California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation
“TGG entered into a consent order with the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation of the State of California in August 2021.”Page 17 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
In the Matter of Speedy Sign-A-Rama, USA, Inc.
concludedGovernment or regulatory action · Speedy Sign-A-Rama, USA, Inc. (Signarama, our affiliate) · filed 1996 · Securities Commissioner of Maryland · S-95-112
“Signarama entered into a consent order with the Securities Commissioner of Maryland in January 1996. The matter is captioned In the Matter of Speedy Sign-A-Rama, USA, Inc. and is Case No. S- 95-112.”Page 17 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Federal Trade Commission, Plaintiff v. Minuteman Press International, Inc., Speedy Sign-A-Rama, USA, Inc., Roy W. Titus and Jeffrey Haber, Defendants
concludedGovernment or regulatory action · Speedy Sign-A-Rama, USA, Inc. (Signarama, our affiliate) · filed 1993-06-04 · United States District Court, Eastern District of New York · CV 93-2496
“… (CV 93-2496) Filed on June 4, 1993, in the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York.”Page 17 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Officers and directors (individuals, not the company)
Pending (2)
Cody Molyneaux, Pratik Soni, and Ben Bazar v. Mac and Cheese Franchise Operations, LLC, Stephen Giorandella, Joseph Amodio, Michael Blum, Kevin Ayers, Carlos Max Gonzalez, Delia Valles, and Brian Peeler
pendingCarlos Max Gonzalez (our Vice President of Operations), with Mac and Cheese Franchise Operations, LLC and others · filed 2024-12-16 · Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida · 50-2024-CA-011843XXXXAMB
“… Case No. Case No. 50-2024-CA-011843XXXXAMB (Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida).”Page 16 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
In the Matter of: Mac and Cheese Franchise Operations, LLC d/b/a “I Heart Mac and Cheese” and Max Gonzalez et al.
pendingGovernment or regulatory action · Carlos Max Gonzalez (our Vice President of Operations), as former Director of Operations of Mac and Cheese Franchise Operations, LLC · filed 2024-01-26 · Indiana Secretary of State, Securities Division · 24-0003 AC
“… Case No. 24-0003 AC, Indiana Secretary of State, Securities Division.”Page 16 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Item 3 lists the litigation the franchisor must disclose; a matter against a parent, an affiliate or a named officer is not a matter against the franchisor, and pending claims are allegations, not findings.
Disclosure signals that moved the score
How this shows up in the verdict
- Significant litigation history involving management across multiple brands (MACFO, Signaroma, Great Greek) with allegations of franchise law violations and disclosure failures—suggests systemic compliance issues
- Management has prior litigation involvement across unrelated franchise concepts—pattern suggests potential recurring compliance or operational management issues
The verdict grade is FranchiseVerdict's editorial assessment across SBA loan performance, unit growth, revenue and disclosure signals. It is not investment advice.
Before you weigh a lawsuit
How to read Item 3
A franchisor must disclose pending actions and any material civil action involving the franchise relationship, plus convictions or civil judgments for fraud, unfair or deceptive practices, or franchise-law violations, going back ten years. A case the franchisor brought against a franchisee counts too. Item 3 does not include every dispute: settled claims below the materiality line and matters resolved in private arbitration can be absent.
Questions worth asking current and former franchisees, using the contact list in Item 20:
- Were you, or anyone you know in the system, party to a dispute with the franchisor?
- Was it resolved by settlement, arbitration or a court, and on what terms?
- Has the number of disputes gone up or down since you signed?