Guillermo Perales is in the cross hairs of Burger King Corporation for what they say his Harlingen location violated the franchise agreement.
Perales is the largest Latino franchisee in the United States, and a lawsuit against him is calling for him to release ownership of the Burger King restaurants in the Valley.
He currently is the owner of all the Burger Kings in the Valley.
“I do not understand why unless there’s an ulterior motive Burger King is choosing to get another operator in there that perhaps may wish to take a more aggressive stance on developing and expanding the system,” said Robert Zarco, Perales’ lawyer.
An email requesting a statement from Burger King was sent, and no response was received.
The lawsuit comes after a Harlingen location located on Sunshine Strip 77 was closed for unsanitary conditions in the kitchen last month.
According to Zarco, the Harlingen restaurant has since passed city inspections since the incident.
Perales also has franchise rights to other restaurants and businesses in the area.
Altogether, Perales owns more than 800 locations of stores and restaurants.
Zarco said his client hopes to resolve the issue the right way, but if not, he could file counter claims for wrongful termination.
The lawsuit filed by Burger King Corporation claims Perales brought bad press to the corporations name and the lawsuit is trying to force him into selling all 37 locations in the Valley.
In the lawsuit claims that the Burger Kings owned by Perales violated their franchise agreement.
Zarco said he’s disappointed that Burger King would have his client sell all his locations for “a common occurrence in fast food and high-end restaurants.”
