It isn’t easy to be a newcomer. Many recent immigrants must contend with changing language, documents, and social customs, and that’s before they start dreaming of establishing their own business. But it’s those very dreams that guide entrepreneurial people toward Canadian shores.
If you’re looking for inspiration on achieving the Canadian dream, you’ve come to the right place. All of these franchisees faced challenges and setbacks but rose through the ranks of their respective sectors with the support of family and friends, to create franchise success. Here, we explore three stories of hardworking immigrants who built successful food franchises in Canada.
By Karen Stevens
Ken Chow, Edo Japan
In 1994, at 24 years old, Ken Chow came to Canada from Enping, a county-level city about three hours from Hong Kong in southern China, to work at his uncle’s restaurant. His wife followed him the next year, and for the better part of the next decade, he learned the ropes of the Canadian restaurant industry. “I came to Canada for a better future for myself, my family, and the next generation,” he recalls. “More opportunities were available in Canada than in China at the time.”
When he lived in China, Chow was employed as a factory cook and then as a chef at a hotel restaurant. The skills he learned in these roles came in handy during the seven years he worked at his uncle’s restaurant, and after that, he opened his own Chinese restaurant on Canadian soil.
While Chow had a positive experience working in the Chinese restaurant, it did come with its downsides. “It was too much work and a lot of stress and not a lot of profit,” he says. Instead, he decided to stay in the restaurant industry by joining a strong franchise brand.
Enter Edo Japan. In 2000, Chow tried Edo Japan at a mall food cart, and he recalled being very impressed with the flavour and remembered the huge line at the store. “I saw lots of people there eating the food and how much they enjoyed it, and in that moment, I knew that Edo Japan was the franchise I wanted to run,” he says. He reached out to the franchise, and the rest is history.
Chow says the franchisor was there with him every step of the way, whether in the initial training or by offering hands-on support as he opened new stores, especially his first location in Medicine Hat, Alberta. “They send managers and trainers to assist with any needs and problems we may have and to make sure the store opens successfully.” He says family support was instrumental during this process—his wife and kids pitched in, too.
Edo Japan franchisees need to be dedicated, hard-working individuals with a passion for the food industry, notes Chow. While he says a background in the food industry isn’t mandatory, it is an asset. “If you are willing to follow the guidelines set by Edo Japan, running a franchise is easier than running your own restaurant because of the support the franchise provides,” he explains.
Today, Chow owns six locations, with two more in the works. He says that his success, in part, is due to immigrating to Canada. “Having nothing when I came to Canada gave me the drive to better myself and push for something more, and it has shaped the way I operate—I always push myself to be the best.”
Utkarsh Patel and Hardik Patel, Score Pizza
Friends Hardik Patel and Utkarsh Patel (no relation) discussed a business partnership for years before opening their Score Pizza location in Waterloo, Ontario. They knew each other before they left their hometown of Ahmedabad, India, to come to Canada as students in 2018. Then, they were housemates when they attended Conestoga College and stayed in touch after that, even as they entered the world of work. They had many conversations about opening a business together during that time and eventually decided on franchising. But which kind of business was to be determined.
As a student, Hardik worked in restaurants to pay his bills, eventually moving his way up from busboy to head chef at a popular burrito franchise. “I wanted to run my own business,” he says. “Since I had the restaurant industry experience, I was looking to start a restaurant.” From there, the duo did market research, including reading social media and customer reviews to see what kinds of restaurants were popular, and that’s when they decided on a pizza restaurant.
Potential franchisees can choose from many attractive options in the crowded pizza sector. Hardik and Utkarsh settled on Score Pizza because they were looking for a concept that stood out. “You can do dine-in, and it has all the options for drinks, on top of serving the best pizza,” explains Hardik.
While the two new Score Pizza owners did have restaurant experience, they didn’t have pizzeria-specific experience. Thankfully, Score Pizza’s comprehensive training program ensured they would learn the ins and outs of running the restaurant before opening day. From there, Hardik says that whenever they needed any help, support was always available from the Score Pizza team. “We can reach out to our operation manager or the training manager by email or phone, and they get back to us.”
As a team, Hardik and Utkarsh like to divide and conquer. Utkarsh takes care of the in-store duties like food prep and customer service and ensures staff follow all protocols and recipes. Hardik’s duties lie more on the management side—he handles making the schedules, creating reports, and other administrative tasks.
At Score Pizza, food service and business experience are beneficial, but it’s more important to be customer-service oriented, have a passion for the industry, and possess good management skills. “If you are willing to learn, if you have passion for the industry, if you want to serve your customer in better and better ways, then you can succeed in this industry,” he says.
Hardik recommends the franchisee life to other immigrants seeking opportunities, saying that it offers newcomers a way to get into business for themselves and gain experience in specific Canadian markets. “It’s an excellent opportunity for them because they can get guidance from their franchisor,” he says. “Just trust the process, keep doing the hard work, and always be loyal to your customer and keep up a passion for your industry.”
Wajahat Khaleeque, Sunset Grill
Originally hailing from Pakistan, Wajahat Khaleeque (or “Waji the Baker,” as his friends call him) immigrated to Canada when he was only 20. That was 22 years ago, and since then, his journey has taken him from business student to professional baker to Sunset Grill franchisee.
When Khaleeque left Pakistan, he’d already graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, but he had to redo the program to comply with Canadian standards. After graduating from the University of Windsor, he followed his passion for the food industry, completing George Brown College’s baking and pastry arts management program, followed by studying at the American Institute of Baking. After all this training, he went to work at a COBS Bread location as production manager—and that’s when he first thought about opening a franchise of his own.
In 2012, he bought a cafe that served breakfast. “My interest started developing more toward breakfast places instead of bakeries,” he recalls, and in 2019, Khaleeque’s uncle, Bader Munir, introduced him to Sunset Grill. Shortly after, Khaleeque approached the company and was soon selected as a franchisee.
Originally, Khaleeque wanted to own a location in the Greater Toronto Area, but the wait for territories in the major cities was long. So, when the Brockville, Ontario, territory became available, he took the opportunity and relocated. Unfortunately, there was trouble brewing ahead, in the form of COVID-19. “The pandemic was a big setback, and our construction got delayed,” he says.
During this challenging time, he had lots of family support, in addition to in-person training and guidance from Sunset Grill’s head office. Khaleeque also had the support of two franchisees, Hemant Malik and Paul Sodhi, who were with him every step of the way. “Hemant trained me on operations, and Paul helped me with construction, walking me through everything so it all went smoothly,” he describes.
According to Khaleeque, the benefits of owning a Sunset Grill franchise include a proven business model and marketing support. However, he notes that’s not the number-one benefit. “The biggest advantage of owning a Sunset Grill is that it is a one-shift operation, so you still have time for your family in the evening, and you still have nights at home instead of staying here till midnight,” he says.
Khaleeque says that potential Sunset Grill franchisees should be hands-on and would benefit from having a background in business. “You should know each and every aspect of the business—cooking, operations, serving. You should be able to jump in any role, whenever it’s needed,” he explains. Finally, if potential franchisees don’t have food industry experience, Khaleeque suggests working as an employee before owning your own restaurant to gain insight into what’s required.
