After more than a year of living through the COVID-19 pandemic, many Canadians have been missing their favourite restaurants—and with 34 per cent of our member brands in the food service industry, many of your favourites are CFA members!
The cover story in this Food Issue of Franchise Canada magazine highlights casual and full-service dining restaurants that have recently been able to re-open their doors (and patios) to serve patrons across the country. For more than a year, these restaurants have had to pivot to take-out and delivery options, and can now experience the excitement around once again serving guests in their dining rooms. Prospective small business owners—also known as franchisees—will appreciate the robust “buffet” of opportunities presented in this feature.
Canadians returning to the office may also be excited to step into their go-to coffee shop again for a pre-work pick-me-up. Coffee and baked goods have been a thriving market in recent years, and this issue spotlights some franchise systems that serve up cups of joe and sweet treats to guests.
Beyond these opportunities, we celebrate the success of our CFA member brands. You’ll find the CFA’s Awards of Excellence Grand Prize winners, Little Kickers and MaxWell Realty, who share their stories and secrets to success. You’ll also explore the winners of the CFA Recognition Awards, as well as brands that have reached membership milestones with the CFA this year.
Some business owners have been thriving even in these difficult and uncertain times, and this issue spotlights several food system franchisees who have kept Canadians well-fed throughout the pandemic. We follow Quesada franchisee Daksh Patel, who in his first year has opened not one but three locations during the pandemic, finding great success with the brand. You can read about Crest Kitchens, an intriguing new concept that puts multiple restaurant cuisines under one roof and capitalizes on technology and online ordering. In our Next Generation in Franchising feature, we follow new franchisees, Kim Le and James Jackson, who share how they made it as a young couple and business partners with a Pizza Pizza.
You’ll also read about how Recipe Unlimited has been giving back with charitable initiatives throughout the pandemic. In addition, we explore how VP of development Audra Wosik is taking the western Canada-based Boardwalk Burgers Fries Shakes to a national scale.
Throughout this year, many employees have been performing their jobs from home, and studies show that this may become a more common way to work in the future. Our Special Franchise Focus features mobile and home-based businesses that provide intriguing opportunities to work from home or in a non-traditional office environment.
Beyond those featured in this issue, there are many other franchise opportunities available for entrepreneurs looking to contribute to their community through franchising. Visit LookforaFranchise.ca to explore opportunities across a wide range of industries and investment levels. You can also find a wealth of franchising resources—including podcasts, video content, and articles—at FranchiseCanada.Online. Also be sure to follow the CFA on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok to keep up with the latest updates in franchising.
As we have seen over the past 19 months, franchising offers an advantage in its ability to carry business owners through difficult circumstances. With optimism for things ahead, we hope you’ll dig into this delectable Food Issue. Discover your next step into the world of franchising to help you realize the dream of owning your own business.