Just because you didn't have to sign a non-compete doesn't mean there wasn't shady business going on. What the article is talking about is franchisees signing a

Just because you didn't have to sign a non-compete doesn't mean there wasn't shady business going on. What the article is talking about is franchisees signing agreements not to hire employees from other franchisees in the same brand. So if a new McDonald's opened up across town with higher pay, they would not have been able to hire you. Also there are (or at least were) fast food restaurants making their employees sign non competes. Jimmy Johns had their sandwich makers on noncompetes until 2016 [0]. 0: https://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/22/jimmy-johns-drops-non-compete-clauses-following-settlement.html https://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/22/jimmy-johns-drops-non-compet...