LEHI, Utah — For single mother Alyssa Morrison, spending Sundays with her kids means a whole lot.
“They were actually really sad when they found out we had to open our doors on Sunday,” said Morris, who is a Nothing Bundt Cakes franchise co-owner in Utah.
Morrison is one of the local franchise owners who can breathe easily now that Gov. Spencer Cox has signed into law the Franchisee Protection Act that bans companies from forcing shops to open on days that conflict with religious practices.
“To be able to have a state that supported us and these leaders that helped push us to have our day of rest and our religious freedom was huge for us,” said Morrison, who co-owns franchises in Lehi, American Fork, and Orem.
Kelly Clayton and Kelsey Hunt are the father and daughter team who own franchises in American Fork and St. George. They've pushed back since the Nothing Bundt Cakes corporate mandate went live in early February.
Popular dessert franchise demands Utah locations open on Sunday:
“It’s been quite the rollercoaster ride but the fact that it has happened is nothing short of, at least to us and the rest of us, and really the community — a miracle,” Clayton said.
Tim Ryan, Chief Financial Officer of the franchise Bout Time Pub & Grub has a different opinion on the new law.
“It doesn’t need to be a law,” said Tim Ryan, CFO of 'Bout Time Pub & Grub. “There are many more franchisee opportunities available and potentially you’ll have companies that don’t want to do business in Utah, which impacts all the rest of us when it comes to the collection of sales tax, withholding taxes, providing jobs, wages, and labor.”
