One of the country’s most successful franchise businesses, Potato Corner, is now at the center of scrutiny from their own franchisers over the issue of ‘panunulot’ (unjust takeover) of locations of their own franchisers.

According to a Facebook user, yoyo_b0i, he criticized the business practice of Potato Corner for being sketchy.

“A friend of mine tried to apply for a franchise of Potato Corner. She was told to submit a proposal, indicating her preferred location and explaining why she has chosen that place, as well as its target customers,” the netizen stated.

“My friend was confident that their proposal would be approved because the proposal is well executed. But after weeks, even months, no return call or email came from Potato Corner. However, when they checked their preferred location, a new branch of Potato Corner was already established, owned by the franchisee. See how sketchy the business practice is,” he narrated.

Another Facebook user replied in the comment section of yoyo_b0i’s post, saying he suffered a different issue, as his franchise was not renewed.

“Then, after a while, the franchisee put a branch in my area. That place has many customers,” the commenter disclosed.

We hear you

On Wednesday, the management of Potato Corner, through its official Facebook page, stated that they are attending to the concerns raised about how their franchise locations are selected.

“We hear you. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. At Potato Corner, we take these matters very seriously. We want to clarify that incidents like these do not align with our values, standards, and policies. At Potato Corner, our franchisees are our partners, and our growth has always been built on shared success. We do not take actions that intentionally disadvantage the very entrepreneurs who help grow our brand,” the statement read.

The firm said its team has immediately reached out privately to the individuals who raised the issue to have a better understanding of their concerns, verify the details, and act on the claims.

“While we have not received any response, our lines remain open should they wish to engage. Together with our internal investigation, we hope to address these concerns properly. We would like to reassure our franchise community that preventive controls and measures are in place to ensure effective and appropriate site selection for our valued franchisees,” it added.

“We remain committed to fair, respectful, and responsible practices, ensuring win-win outcomes across the Potato Corner community,” the company further stated.

The Philippine Franchisers Association was reached for comment by the DAILY TRIBUNE, but it hasn’t responded as of this posting.