Owner says his Sonny's franchise was terminated
The owner of a Tifton restaurant says he has parted ways with the Sonny's Barbeque chain.
Bill Davis says he received a certified letter terminating his deal with the Sonny's Barbecue chain. Davis claims he lost his franchise because his servers wore t-shirts on Sunday that said "I pledge, I pray" and that he had a Jesus sign hung behind the register.
Sonny's corporate office says Davis' claims are not factual. In a written statement Sonny's said, "The Tifton location was not closed due to religious and/or political beliefs. We respect the rights and liberties of not only our guests, but of our franchisees as well. This particular franchisee failed to renew his license agreement at the end of 2007. After several extensions of the agreement and infractions of company standards, the Tifton location was closed. The store was already scheduled to be closed on December 30th due to the extended agreement. Sonny's has an unwavering commitment to the community and we will continue to be active members of the communities in which we live and work."
Davis says he has no hard feelings for the corporation and has changed the name of his restaurant to The Smokehouse.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWFXL