American fast food franchisees have expanded into emerging markets beyond the saturated U.S. markets. Increased competition in these emerging markets has been generated by this expansion strategy as the domestic restaurateurs are faced with foreign competition through the entrance of these franchisees. The problem investigated in the study was the effects of foreign business competition faced by the local restaurants in Saint Kitts resulting from the presence of American fast food franchises. The purpose of this case study was to explore local restaurateurs' experiences of franchising in terms of its effects on their ability to (a) compete against an established global brand name, (b) provide quality products and services, and (c) maintain a loyal customer base in their businesses in Saint Kitts. A convenience sample of 12 local restaurant owners from the restaurants that provide quick, convenient, inexpensive meals or take-out service for customers was selected. Each restaurateur was interviewed in-person to solicit experiences about the effect of franchising on local restaurants in Saint Kitts. The research findings illustrated that as a primary result of having access to limited resources, the local restaurateurs in Saint Kitts are experiencing difficulties in (a) competing against the established global brand names of the franchisees, (b) providing quality products and services, and (c) maintaining loyal customer bases in their restaurants. These local restaurateurs have lost and continue to lose customers who patronize the franchisees. The research findings can be beneficial to the domestic restaurateurs as the common franchise competitive factors affecting their businesses were identified. Government officials and other policy makers can reference the study conclusions to determine if there is need for any protective policies and concessions for the local restaurateurs and for any restrictive measures for the franchisees. Recommendations for future research include a (a) quantitative study to assess the effect of franchising on local restaurateurs, (b) qualitative study to explore the etiect of franchising on consumers or to explore the perceptions of the franchisees, (c) case study to explore the effect of franchising in another emerging market, or (d) mixed study to examine the effect of franchising in emerging markets.