Sorry if this is too late, I haven't been on in awhile.

Given that most franchisees realize that to make serious money it takes multiple units, have you tried selling your unit to another franchisee nearby? It should save them the franchise fee over again and their taking over a business that is up and running rather than an empty building.

Ironically enough, I was talking with a franchise owner the other day and they said that their franchisor requires them to purchase three franchises and felt this was unfair. I pointed out to him that their experience has probably told them that people who purchase a single franchise finally figure out that they work too hard for in many cases what's less than they were making at their previous jobs, and by starting people off with more than one they'll make enough to keep them interested. Not a bad idea really...it eliminates a lot of franchisee turnover.
Hope this helps
Denny