Sunset Grill Restaurants launched the second store in a series of expansions into Southwestern Ontario with the opening of the Sarnia, Ont. location on Monday.
The new all-day breakfast and lunch restaurant is located on Quinn Drive in the Walmart Supercentre plaza, near Lambton Mall.
In addition to the Sarnia location, the chain recently opened a store in Windsor in June 2019 – which is located in the Union Square Plaza on Division Road – and is planning to open four more restaurants across southwestern Ontario including St. Thomas, Chatham, Woodstock and a second site in London, Ont.
The expansion into southwestern Ontario has been spearheaded by Paul Sodhi, multi-unit franchise owner. “Our customers deserve a brand like Sunset Grill,” says Sodhi. “It’s such a beautiful business. I used to drive from Woodbridge to Newmarket for breakfast every Sunday for two years with my wife and one day I decided, I wanted to become a Franchise Owner,” he shares. “The food is excellent. I often have guests come up to me or my staff and thank me for bringing the Sunset Grill brand to their town. That is very rewarding for me.”
Sodhi currently operates eight Sunset Grill restaurants, including Sarnia, Windsor, London, Cambridge, Burlington, Innisfil, Barrie and Orillia and has plans to expand that number to 20 by the end of 2020.
“Sunset is a clean, neat business. The profit margin is very healthy,” Sodhi says. Sodhi also notes his locations average a 17 to 20 per cent return on investment, which is exceptional for the restaurant industry. “Plus, the hours. I love those,” he says. “You’re home. You’re done by 3:30 p.m. and can go see a ball game, go do something; that’s exciting as a business owner.”
The long-anticipated opening of the Sarnia and Windsor locations brings the chain to 86 locations across Canada, with a focus on Southern Ontario, including the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area, with pockets in Alberta. The chain concentrates on high traffic and highly visible street locations in addition to freestanding pad sites and end caps with patio (where possible).
Over the next 12-month span, Sunset Grill is opening at least 20 new franchised units and is focusing on Canada (Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick) and select markets in the U.S. with numerous prime locations still available in Ontario.
About Sunset Grill Restaurants Ltd.
Sunset Grill is a proudly Canadian all-day breakfast restaurant franchise founded in Toronto, Ont. by Angelo Christou in 1985. The owner-operated, California-style breakfast restaurants feature fresh grilled breakfast and lunch prepared in an open kitchen, served daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunset Grill has since expanded to 86 locations across Canada and is continuously growing. For franchising opportunities or to learn more, visit sunsetgrill.ca