Quiznos terminates multiple franchisees on heels of suicide
Baber Vhupinder, longtime franchisee and litigant against Quiznos, was found dead in a Whittier, Calif., Quiznos Nov. 27.
Vhupinder, also known as Bob Baber, shot himself three times in the chest with a .380 handgun in the store’s bathroom. Police said the death is being treated as a suicide.
The Toasted Subs Organization, which Vhupinder belonged to, posted an alleged suicide letter authored by Vhupinder. Shortly after the group posted the letter, Quiznos terminated the franchise agreements of the Toasted Subs’ board members.
It is not clear that Vhupinder wrote the letter. Whittier Police Officer Jason Zhulke, the department’s information officer, said he does not recall the suicide letter at the scene. He said officers found a USB drive, which Toasted Subs claims contained the suicide letter.
“We don’t keep an inventory of suicide investigations. … All I will say is the letter (on the Toasted Subs site) was highly speculative,” Zhulke said.
Vhupinder was one of several franchisees suing Quiznos for fraud, exploitation, saturating geographies and violating the conditions of its Uniform Franchise Offering Circular. The most recent class-action franchisee suit was filed on Nov. 21 by a group of Wisconsin franchisees. The suit accused the chain of systematically defrauding its franchisees in a scheme designed to build the brand at the expense of franchisees.
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