Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News - February 2016

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P A C I F I C / P R A I R I E February 2016 | Vol. 22 | No. 1

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NEW CONFERENCE CENTRE IN WINKLER

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C O V E R A G E

CALIBURGER MIXES TECH AND FOOD

R E G I O N A L

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F O C U S

LOOKING AHEAD WITH DONNA DOOHER

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$ 5 . 9 5

FEATURE: SKIPPING BREAKFAST? THE MORNING MARKET IS GROWING

Scott Morison CEO, Browns Restaurant Group

NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR The area franchisee was building his second Socialhouse when another location became available across the street.

“He wanted to be his own competition,” cott Morison has come a long way in the foodservice industry since he started as a said Morison. “You can own some of these othdishwasher at a Winnipeg truck stop at er brands and be your own competition in your own marketplace.” age 14.

With new brands, Browns built a kitchen faHe became a restaurateur at 21, co-founded Cactus Club and ventured on to found Browns cility in a 3,000-square-foot warehouse in South Socialhouse. The first Browns Socialhouse, then Vancouver.

“I’m trying to make sure we don’t run simply called Browns Restaurant, opened at 18th Street and Lonsdale Avenue in Vancouver amok,” said Morison, adding one chef developin 2004 and has grown to more than 45 loca- ing items for multiple concepts can make menus “mushy.” In order to avoid this, Morison put tions in five provinces.

The parent company, Browns Restaurant together what he calls a “competitive collaboraGroup, launched a new brand London Bull last tive experience” program.

“Every chef has to compete with each other August in Langley, B.C. — the second is slated to open in Fort St. John, B.C., in March — and for their own brand and stick up for their own is working toward launching more new con- brand, but they can still work together and help each other. I think it’s a way to keep the brands cepts.

Working under executive chef Jason La- separate and keep them strong,” Morison said.

Last year, Browns Restaurant Group saw 13 bahn, the growing restaurant group brought on culinary development chefs to lead the different new openings and system-wide sales surpassed brands: Brad Green is responsible for Browns $100 million by December. There are 14 new Socialhouse and Sean Roden heads up London restaurants slated to open in 2016, which will APPROVAL REQUIRED bring the Browns system to more than 60 units Bull.

The enclosed proof is sent for your approval. We will not proceed with the job until the proof is returned. by the year’sCHECK end.CAREFULLY! NOT GIVE VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS. Liberty Kitchen will open inDOWhite Rock, Beyond this point we cannot accept responsibility for any errors. Alterations (other than typographical errors) will be charged extra. Mark proof “OK” or “OK with corrections” as the case may B.C. in 2017 and Browns will bring on a chef to be, signing your name so we may know that the proof reached the proper authority.

Continued on page 12 represent the pizza-focused restaurants.

By Kristen Smith, Managing Editor

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Cineplex Entertainment launches The Rec Room EDMONTON – Cineplex Entertainment is embarking on a new business venture that combines casual dining with gaming and live entertainment.

The Rec Room will feature a large attraction area with amusement games and recreational activities like pool, shuffleboard and ping-pong.

An onsite auditorium also provides a venue for live entertainment.

“I would describe The Rec Room as a social destination that brings together an incredible dining, amusement gaming and entertainment experience all under one roof,” said Sarah Van Lange, communications director for Cineplex Entertainment.

The first Rec Room will open in Edmonton this spring and a second location is scheduled to open in Calgary by the end of the year. Cineplex plans to open 10 to 15 Rec Room locations throughout Canada in the next few years.

“With The Rec Room, we saw an opportunity to bring a unique entertainment experience to Canadians by leveraging expertise that Cineplex already has across the company,” Van Lange said.

As well, multiple dining options will be available including a casual restaurant and “eatertainment-style” options in the games area.

“We want to offer guests grabbing a bite between rounds of ping pong a quick and delicious appetizer, as well as offer that couple on their first date a unique and enjoyable dining experience,” Van Lange said.

Artist rendering of the Calgary Rec Room.

Cineplex has hired Chef Tony Glitz as executive director of food and beverage. Glitz previously worked for the Four Seasons hotel chain.

“We’re thrilled to have him on board,” Van Lange said. “Our menus are nearly finalized and they feature Canadian-inspired cuisine and shareable comfort foods.”

Both Rec Room locations in development will feature a multi-level patio with outdoor fireplaces and bocce ball courts. As well, a cen-

tral bar with large high-definition screens aims to create a gathering space for sporting events.

Cineplex’s Scene rewards program will also be integrated into the new venture.

About half of the 60,000-square-foot, twostorey Rec Room located in South Edmonton Common, will be devoted to foodservice. As well, the new venture is being constructed next to one of Cineplex’s existing movie theatres.

“It serves as a strong complement to an al-

ready exciting retail and entertainment destination,” Van Lange said.

The Calgary Rec Rom, located in Deerfoot City, will also see half of its 50,000-square-foot floor space used for dining. Construction of the Calgary location is scheduled to begin this spring.

“Each of these locations will be customized to the surrounding neighbourhood,” Van Lange said.

FranWorks heads into a busy year

By Kristen Smith CALGARY — FranWorks is slated to open at least nine new locations in the first two quarters of 2016.

“It’s a busy time for us right now,” said Derek Doke, chief executive of the Calgary-based restaurant group.

Since its deal with Vancouver-based BENEV Capital Inc. in late 2014, FranWorks opened one Original Joes in Saskatchewan and five State and Main locations, one in Calgary and four in Ontario.

State and Main, a concept FranWorks launched in 2012 and brought into Ontario two years ago, now has 17 locations in three provinces. The seven new units planned for 2016 are split between Alberta and Ontario.

“We’ve had good success incubating it out west. We went into Ontario with our first two stores in Guelph and Aurora and kind of held our breath a bit to see how people would react,” said Doke. “We’re very encouraged by our initial results and so we’re just going to keep pushing forward with the growth that we planned and be strategic. But also growth is what we’re after right now, so we’re going to be somewhat aggressive.”

Doke noted the brand works well in small communities and towns with populations in the area of 20,000 residents, something there is no shortage of in Ontario.

“We’re quite enthused about what’s going to happen in the next three to four years,” said

Doke, adding FranWorks is casually looking at real estate in Quebec for the State and Main brand.

With 62 Original Joes, Doke said at least three more would open in 2016: Dawson Creek, B.C., Calgary and Regina. “We’re sticking to the West with Original Joes,” he said.

FranWorks doesn’t plan to open any new Elephant and Castle locations, a brand it bought out of bankruptcy in 2012. FranWorks has closed some — most recently the Edmonton location in December — and is in the process of renovating the remaining 11 restaurants, four of which are in Canada with the others in the United States. Toronto’s King Street location and the Winnipeg Elephant and Castle already have the new look.

Doke said the idea was to update the interior, making it look less like a pub — ditching the “brass and stained glass” of the ’80s and early-’90s — and bring in more modern English decor.

“It’s still very cozy, with natural elements,” he said.

FranWorks also changed the Elephant and Castle menu about two years ago and is moving into phase two this summer under the direction of vice-president of research and development Jordan Prescesky.

The 40-year-old brand has changed hands more than a few times over the years. Doke said there were some bad leases signed over that time period and some footprints that weren’t feasible to upgrade.

Derek Doke, chief executive of Franworks.

“It’s just an investment decision; it’s a tough decision. There’s a lot of history, but you’ve just got to make a business decision for the next 20 years when you’re about to put $1 or $2 million into a store to renovate it,” said Doke.

FranWorks is also learning from Elephant

and Castle’s United States presence as it prepares to bring State and Main to the Chicago area.

Across the system, FranWorks restaurants are mostly corporate with about 20 per cent owned by franchisees and joint ventures.

February 2016 | 3

P A C I F I C / P R A I R I E

EDITORIAL

The most wonderful time of the year

W

ith the holidays behind us, and Valentine’s Day in the bag, a new season is around the corner: show time.

It’s an exciting time in the Ishcom offices as we prepare to visit the industry’s various shows, hit as many booths as we can and meet operators and suppliers, both small and large.

It’s an opportunity to see new products and innovations first hand and meet the minds behind the future of the industry.

The foodservice tradeshow is a longstanding tradition in our industry spanning decades. Ishcom Publications has hosted the same booth — come see us at 1850 — for more than a dozen years.

Some might argue trade shows are dying — or at least shrinking. Has the Internet made them less relevant? Is it less important to meet people face to face; will a Google search and an email suffice when determin-

ing what and how to serve your guests?

Tradeshows engage the senses. They allow operators to touch, smell and taste potential menu items or ingredients, sit on new patio furniture or see an oven demonstration. They are also an opportunity to attend seminars about emerging segments and trends, must-have technology, food and beer pairing or digital marketing.

Kicking off the show season at the end of February, the Restaurants Canada Show draws visitors to Toronto from across the country.

This year, the association partnered with Big Picture Conferences to host the Canadian Restaurant Investment Summit (CRIS) and the new Canadian Restaurant Operators Summit (CROS) during the same week in an effort to have delegates from the tradeshow and conferences attend both events.

Assistant editor Bill Tremblay spoke to Restaurants Canada president and chief executive officer Donna Dooher about how the industry association is positioning its annual

show as more than simply rows of booths.

“We’re really trying to bring the show to life, and take it from walking up and down aisles looking at products to bringing those products and brands to life,” Dooher said.

Dubbed Hospitality Unleashed, the foodservice association hopes the whole Canadian industry will get involved.

“We are a national trade association.

We are not a Toronto or Ontario-based association. We’re looking for ways to include all of our partners across the country,” said Dooher.

This alludes to perhaps the most important aspect of the foodservice tradeshow. In this busy, hands-on industry, when else will there be the opportunity to all be under one roof, learn from each other and make new connections?

PUBLISHER

Steven Isherwood ext. 236 · sisherwood@canadianrestaurantnews.com MANAGING EDITOR

Kristen Smith ext. 238 · ksmith@canadianrestaurantnews.com SENIOR EDITOR

Colleen Isherwood ext. 231 · cisherwood@canadianrestaurantnews.com ASSISTANT EDITOR

Bill Tremblay ext. 226 · wtremblay@canadianrestaurantnews.com ASSISTANT EDITOR

Don Douloff ext. 232 · ddouloff@canadianrestaurantnews.com SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

Debbie McGilvray ext. 233 · dmcgilvray@canadianrestaurantnews.com ACCOUNT MANAGER

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Stacey Holmes ext. 237 · sholmes@canadianrestaurantnews.com

Kristen Smith Managing Editor

CONTACT US: 905-206-0150

PACIFIC/PRAIRIE RESTAURANT NEWS VOLUME 22 · NO. 1 · FEBRUARy 2016

NEWS BRIEFS Thai Express lands at Calgary Airport’s International Terminal CALGARY — Thai Express is opening two new locations at Calgary International Airport.

One will be in the United States departures area and the other will be part of the new international terminal, which is slated to open this fall.

The Thai quick service restaurant chain is under the MTY Group banner and based in Montreal.

Domino’s Pizza opens 400th location in Canada WINNIPEG — On Jan. 18, nearly 33 years after opening its first store in Winnipeg, Domino’s Pizza opened the doors to its 400th Canadian location.

The pizza delivery chain opened its first Canadian location in Winnipeg in 1983, marking the brand’s foray into international growth. Now, Domino’s has stores in every province and two territories.

“I am so proud of all our franchisees and team members for their dedication and hard work in achieving this milestone for Domino’s Pizza,” said Mike Schlater, Domino’s Pizza of Canada’s chief executive officer. “We’re thrilled we have the opportunity to celebrate our 400th store in Winnipeg where it all started.”

In honour of the 400th store, Domino’s Pizza of Canada will make a $4,000 donation to the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation.

The store — which is franchised by Craig Young, Greg Guffei and Rachel Alison — is located in Winnipeg at 468 Osbourne Rd. This is trio’s 10th Winni-

4 | Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News

peg store. Young started with Domino’s in 1991, Guffei’s career with Domino’s began in 1998 as an assistant manager, and Alison joined the company in 2006 as a pizza maker.

Lot No. 40 named best Canadian rye whisky VICTORIA, B.C. — A whisky distilled in Windsor, Ont., earned top honours at the Canadian Whisky Awards.

A panel of ten independent whisky experts named Lot No. 40 the Canadian Whisky of the Year at the sixth annual awards. Results of the blind tasting competition were announced on Jan. 14 at the Victoria Whisky Festival in British Columbia.

Chairman of the judges, Davin de Kergommeaux, described Lot No. 40 as: “A rye whisky sensation. Interest in rye is surging globally and here is proof that Canada makes the best all-rye whiskies in the world.”

Other top winners include Canadian Club 100% Rye, Gooderham & Worts, Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye, Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel, and Masterson’s 10-Year-Old Rye.

Restaurant companies named top employers for young people TORONTO — Cactus Restaurant and JOEY Restaurant Group were among the companies named the winners of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.

Showcasing excellence in career opportunities for youth, 95 companies were recognized by Canada’s Top 100 Employers project in 2016.

Among the reasons Cactus was chosen was its in-house apprenticeship programs for employees pursuing the Red Seal chef certification and mentorship initiatives.

Joey was selected in light of its apprenticeship chef training programs and support for new hires through its JOEY Campus website.

In Ontario, Labatt Breweries of Canada and Campbell Company of Canada were selected as part of Canada’s Top 100 Employers.

Marriott unveils parc VANCOUVER – Marriott International Inc. has announced Vancouver’s largest private development.

The project, dubbed parc Vancouver, will feature Canada’s first JW Marriott and Autograph Collection properties in one integrated resort. Combined, the two hotels will feature 517 rooms.

Culinary consultant Elizabeth Blau, and her husband, award-winning chef Kim Canteenwalla, will oversee the development’s eight restaurants and lounges.

Blau and Canteenwalla are credited with transforming Las Vegas’ dining scene and the food and beverage program is destined to rival the world’s best. Parq Vancouver is expected to open in early 2017.

Parq Vancouver is being constructed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, the first hotel project of this kind in Canada with this designation. The development features a 30,000 square foot rooftop ‘parq,’ equipped with flexible event and leisure space, urban forest, integrated restaurants, lounges and lifestyle characteristics.

Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News (www.pacificprairierestaurantnews.com) is published 6 times a year by Ishcom Publications Ltd., 2065 Dundas Street East, Suite 201, Mississauga, Ont. L4X 2W1 T: (905) 206-0150 · F: (905) 206-9972 Toll Free: 1(800)201-8596 Other publications include the Canadian Chains Directory and Buyers’ Directory as well as:

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Days Inn Conference Centre puts Winkler on the map

By Colleen Isherwood, Senior Editor WINKLER, Man. — Well known in the community, George Klassen of George K Catering will be running Days Inn & Suites Winkler’s newly-built first-class conference facility.

Klassen, who has had his own catering business for more than 18 years, is excited about the new venue.

“We’re known for weddings; we have 25 weddings booked and we’ve hosted one already,” he said. Outside of the local churches, there is only one other wedding venue in the basement of the Quality Inn, where Klassen operated before he came to the new location.

With direct access from the hotel, the conference centre encompasses nearly 10,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space. It can accommodate up to 300 people in a banquet seating. The space can also be divided into three multi-functional meeting rooms that can hold between 80 to 100 people.

The banquet room is done in earth tones with wainscotting, darker tan on the bottom and lighter tan on the top. The lighting is soft, with half of the lights dimmable to set the right tone for weddings. The east wall has floor-toceiling windows accented with dark brown va-

Days Inn & Suites Winkler Conference Centre. lences and drapes with subtle specks of gold.

Winkler is a city of about 10,000 located an hour and 15 minutes from Winnipeg, and 10 minutes from the United States border.

“We plan to make people feel like they’re not in Winkler when they come to our facility — like they’re in another environment due to the lighting and draperies and other elements,” Klassen said.

Thomas Builders of Winnipeg designed the building, although Klassen takes credit for the

MR MIKES to double units BURNABY, B.C. — MR MIKES SteakhouseCasual (MMSC) has been keeping Sarah McPhee, real estate manager for RAMMP Hospitality Brands, very busy. Her main role is to identify potential markets and real estate opportunities for the MMSC brand — including partnerships with hotels.

The 55-year-old restaurant chain now has 25 locations in Western Canada, with 10 more in the pipeline. After more than 50 years, it is undergoing something of a revitalization, creating a new steakhouse category.

“SteakhouseCasual is about feeling like you belong, where everyone feels comfortable in his or her own way,” according to the company’s website. “It’s humble and modest and it’s your place — a place where you don’t have to be something you’re not, you can just be yourself.”

McPhee has been with RAMMP for four years. Her job is to determine the markets they want to be in, do the due diligence and market research, looking at competition demographics.

“Sometimes [potential franchisees] identify hot markets, and it’s up to us to find the real estate for them,” McPhee said.

The ideal location for a MR MIKES is in a suburban or small town market, and they usually consist of free-standing buildings in main retail or commercial nodes.

“We need a strong daytime population, as we need a strong lunch trade,” McPhee said.

They are also interested in hotels that are located in those areas, rather than in residential communities. They are looking for markets of all sizes that are not adequately served, and they provide an affordable alternative to a steakhouse.

“No other brand owns this category,” she said.

design of an efficient kitchen.

“We did design our own kitchen — it’s really important because of the service. We need to be able to produce food for 250 people very quickly.

“We offer very high-end service — my reputation precedes me. My logo says, ‘down to the smallest detail,’ and I stress that to my brides. If the water glasses are half full, we make sure we fill them. It’s the little things that people notice. If we look after the little things,

the big things come,” Klassen said. “When we plan weddings, we are almost like wedding planners. We set budgets, and if we know the couple can’t afford something, we don’t recommend it. We do that to gain respect. And if I see people around town, I don’t ever want to feel that I’ve taken them for a ride.”

The new business and new centre are working well. George K Catering did 44 Christmas banquets this year, up 10 from last year.

“I do a lot of my own cooking — plan, cook, decorate and even do dishes,” Klassen said. “In all honesty, if you want to see what people like and don’t like, do the dishes. You really get to know what people are eating and not eating.”

While much of the business is local, Klassen does get some meetings out of Winnipeg, including the Dairy Association and a conference for 150 women that was booked “even before the sod was turned” in January, 2015.

“We’re known for weddings, and I hope to do 40 to 50 this year. As we get busier, I have to concentrate more on service. That’s my biggest challenge — to keep the level of service as good, and to put Winkler on the map once again.”

Located at 395 Boundary Trail, Days Inn & Suites - Winkler features 81 guestrooms.

Restaurants Canada Show returns with a new format

Sarah McPhee.

MR MIKES is a midscale casual concept that caters to multiple demographics with varied menus. “There are two experiences under one roof,” McPhee said. “Families feel comfortable there. And then we have the Urban Lodge, serving drinks, where the local business person can have drinks and appetizers.”

This flexibility makes it a good onsite food and beverage option for hotels, McPhee added.

“The restaurant can also provide room service or catering for events. Our research shows that a freestanding restaurant onsite increases hotel occupancy,” she said. “Guests who are directly onsite are looking for a place to eat, in addition to locals who drive business. If guests experience us in one market, they look for us in other markets.”

McPhee added that the hotel and restaurant would definitely be two separate organizations, but that they look at each potential opportunity on a case-by-case basis.

McPhee said the company’s goal is to double the number of MR MIKES to 50 or 60, to expand into Ontario, and to continue to develop Western Canadian opportunities.

TORONTO – The Restaurants Canada Show is evolving into a celebration of the hospitality industry.

From Feb. 28 to March 1, more than 12,000 foodservice industry professionals will gather at the Enercare Centre (formerly the Direct Energy Centre) in downtown Toronto for the annual event.

Donna Dooher, president and chief executive officer of Restaurants Canada, explained the event is moving beyond the traditional trade show format.

“We’re really trying to bring the show to life, and take it from walking up and down isles looking at products to bringing those products and brands to life,” Dooher said. “Our focus is to change this event. We’re not calling it a trade show, it’s really an event.”

Dooher said the show is evolving into hospitality week — a way of recognizing the importance of the foodservice industry throughout Canada.

“Really it’s the first year of a longer process we’re engaged in: Hospitality Unleashed for a week,” Dooher said. “We are a national trade association. We are not a Toronto- or Ontariobased association. We’re looking for ways to include all of our partners across the country.”

This year, Restaurants Canada has partnered with GE Capital for CRIS/CROS, the Canadian Restaurant Operators Summit and Canadian Restaurant Investment Summit. The CRIS/CROS opening reception (held March 1 at the Hockey Hall of Fame) follows the finale of the Restaurants Canada Show. Its conference sessions begin March 2.

“The people coming to our show are here, in the city, and they can attend the CRIS/CROS

event,” Dooher said. “We’re bringing together all of these key partners we have in our industry during this five-day period to really celebrate the industry.”

At the fifth annual Breakfast With Champions (March 1), Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, will serve as the featured speaker.

The breakfast also features a panel of industry experts discussing trends impacting the foodservice industry.

As well, the breakfast will see the presentation of the inaugural Restaurants Canada Leadership Award.

“It’s just recognizing and paying tribute to people in the industry who are making a remarkable difference,” Dooher said. “We’re not proud enough to wave our flag and say ‘look at what we’re doing’.”

Another new addition to the show is the Eco Pavilion, created to help restaurant operators learn how to transform their kitchen into a sustainable business.

“This is very important for operators in this day and age who look for products to help with efficiency,” Dooher said. “And the consumer, at the end of the day, wants to know the places they frequent are taking steps to ensure we are stewards of the environment.”

As well, the Shake and Sling pavilion returns with a $25,000 prize for the winner of the Top Shelf Bartending Competition, as well as pavilions focused on pizza, coffee and tea, design, Ontario and technology.

“This year we’ve put a lot of energy and effort into revamping the show and really bringing it to life,” Dooher said.

For a complete list of exhibitors, pavilions and seminars, visit restaurantshow.ca.

February 2016 | 5

Profit

is part of a complete breakfast

The demand for breakfast options is growing throughout Canada.

A

personal trainer turned restaurateur, Josh Broun admits his career change was somewhat self-centered.

While Braun helped his clients reach their fitness goals, healthy meals continued to emerge as a recurring focus.

“Nutrition is more than half the battle,” Braun explained.

Although he expanded his skill set to teach his clients about healthy food preparation and eating habits, he was unable to find a breakfast spot that covered his own nutritional bases.

“There was never a place I could go for everything,” he said. “I started to think of a concept that would be awesome for myself, where I could go and get a coffee, a healthier baked good option and a healthier breakfast.”

Braun partnered with Frank Toskan, cofounder of MAC Cosmetics, to open Impact Kitchen, a restaurant focused on serving nutrient-rich, minimally-processed meals. Impact opened in late fall of 2015 at 573 King St. E., in Toronto.

Through his menu, Braun aimed to create a better tasting version of the Tupperware containers of sweet potato, chicken and broccoli personal trainers are known to carry.

“They’ll eat that as fuel because they know how healthy it is for their body,” Braun said. “I had that mentality, but I wanted to come at it with taste.”

For Impact’s breakfast menu, chef and nutritionist Stephanie Tucci, created several bowls

6 | Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News

However, how operators benefit from this shift depends on numerous factors.

By Bill Tremblay engineered to meet all nutritional requirements.

The breakfast menu is rounded out with smoothies, cold-pressed juices and house-made, gluten-free baked goods.

“It was her job to make everything taste amazing,” Braun said.

The Power Breakfast Bowl, the most popular item on the menu, includes spinach, chorizo sausage, scrambled eggs, homemade salsa, sweet potato and squash mash, avocado and green onion garnish.

“Every component of that breakfast bowl has a nutritional science behind it, but the flavour is really there,” Braun said. “You can see someone who understands nutrition created these combinations.”

The healthy approach to breakfast is paying off. Braun said some customers come in multiple times per day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. While Impact has drawn the personal trainer crowd, Braun noted his restaurant is becoming an early morning meeting place for other professions.

He added the use of higher-priced ingredients reflected in the menu isn’t a deterrent for his customer base.

“They’re fine to pay a dollar or two more for lunch knowing the quality is better,” Braun said.

A growing trend A trend towards healthy breakfast is a natural outcome of growth in the segment in general, according to Donna Dooher, president and chief executive officer of Restaurants Canada.

“More and more people are eating breakfast away from home,” Dooher said.

“I think as we see people looking at where they’re going to spend their dining out dollars, they’re looking at breakfast as that kick start to the day.”

A decade ago, dinner dominated where consumers’ allotted their restaurant budgets. Today, breakfast is taking a bite out of those dining dollars.

“We’re seeing it kind of flipping a bit and breakfast is really becoming that meal away from home now,” Dooher said.

Breakfast and brunch sales have shown an eight per cent compounded growth rate since 2010, with 85 per cent of visits occurring between 6 a.m. and noon.

“Over the years, there has been a slight shift

away from this clock time as operators start to offer breakfast for longer periods,” said Prad Sagar, a foodservice account specialist with NPD Group.

“This trend is expected to continue, especially if McDonald’s launches its all-day breakfast like it did in the U.S.” Healthy choices as a visit driver haven’t changed since last year, but a nutritious breakfast does attract a coveted demographic.

“Healthy choices drive millennials more than any other age group,” Sagar said.

To help launch Impact Kitchen, Braun hired The Fifteen Group, a Canada-wide restaurant consulting firm. Jenny Companion, vice-president of eastern operations for the consulting company, explained requests for quick and nutritious breakfast options are increasing among new restaurant ventures.

“We’re seeing that trend across the board, especially in the quick service market,” she said.

“The consumer is looking for healthier options, especially at breakfast.”

Companion added in the last year, more new restaurateurs have noticed the demand for a healthy morning meal and have opted to include nutritious breakfasts in their concepts.

“There are not a lot of offerings out there that are dedicated to that style of eating,” Companion said.

“People are realizing this is a new way to go because there is room in the market.”

Breakfast sandwiches, for example, were the

fastest growing menu item of 2014.

“If you look over 2015, it continues to sit there at the top of that trend list,” Dooher said.

“In a dinner service, the average check is dropping,” Dooher explained.

“In a breakfast and brunch environment, the average check is going up.”

A risk of breaking a few eggs

Let’s do brunch

Breakfast, however, isn’t an easy daypart to conquer. Sagar explained Tim Hortons holds half of the total breakfast traffic in Canada, followed by McDonald’s with 13 per cent of the market share.

“Many operators have introduced or improved their breakfast offerings, however it’s a competitive segment,” Sagar said.

As well, the average check for quick service breakfast is $4.78, compared to lunch at $7.18 and dinner at $8.74, according to Restaurants Canada.

“The breakfast market is tough because of costs,” Companion said. “Your average price is considerably lower, but overhead and labour costs still exist.”

For a casual restaurant, breakfast ingredients typically account for 25 to 28 per cent of the sale price, while lunch and dinner costs range from 30 to 32 per cent. With customers expecting to spend less in the morning, a profitable breakfast is dependent on volume.

“The average guest check comes down so considerably compared to lunch and dinner you have to sell a much higher volume for it to make sense,” Companion said.

Cost is also a deciding factor in where consumers purchase breakfast.

“Not only are restaurants competing with each other for the household food dollar, but they are also competing with grocery stores and super markets,” said Chris Elliott, senior economist with Restaurants Canada. “An increasing number of convenience stores are also offering prepared foods and snacks for breakfast as well, so value is key.”

Yet, price expectations for breakfast, lunch and dinner are changing, according to Dooher.

Whether or not The Fifteen Group recommends serving breakfast usually depends on the style of restaurant.

“If they’re doing an Italian style restaurant at lunch, does adding in breakfast make sense? No,” Companion said, adding the operator would have to factor in a complete flip of inventory. “Cost utilization doesn’t exist.”

While breakfast may not be a financially viable option, Companion explained weekend brunch is an alternative for full service restaurants.

“On the weekend, the guest mentality changes. It becomes more of a social environment,” she said. “People will meet for brunch, so they’re willing to pay a little bit more.”

Brunch is a segment restaurants are taking full advantage of, according to Dooher.

“We are seeing a lot of growth there,” Dooher said. “I can’t think of many restaurants that are not offering brunch.”

Alongside offering brunch, operators are expanding their lunch hours into traditional breakfast times.

Dooher explained the move caters to the “clockless menu” expected by millennial customers.

“They eat what they eat when they want to eat it,” Dooher said.

“That’s the luxury the consumer has today. It’s very on demand and we have to be responsive to those needs.”

The fast foodie A demand for a nutritious breakfast is also met with demands for wholesome and ethical ingredients.

In 2013, A&W launched its Ingredients Guarantee, which includes a commitment to using only Canadian eggs

from hens fed a vegetarian diet without animal by-products. The commitment has grown to include organic, fair trade coffee.

This month, the company announced it plans to source its bacon from pork raised without antibiotics and made using only natural preservatives.

“Our guests have come to expect speed, convenience and affordability, but they are also fast foodies and want high-quality menu options,” said Susan Senecal, president and chief operating officer of A&W Foodservices of Canada Inc. “We’ve heard from our guests that they want food that’s raised as naturally as possible.”

Senecal added the changes have paid off for the quick service restaurant group.

“We have received phenomenal response to our Ingredients Guarantee.

We hear it every day from our guests,” she said. “We are going to keep on making changes and it’s an exciting journey to be on. Bacon is next, but it won’t stop there.”

Did you know?

Breakfast sandwiches were the fastest growing menu item of 2014 and remained a top trend for 2015.

Put your eggs in multiple baskets Location is also a key to success. Although standalone, full service breakfast restaurants exist, a high foot traffic location is more likely to capitalize on a morning menu.

“You have to be somewhere you can capture an audience willing to sit down and have full service, which is really hard to come by,” Companion said.

“People are looking for that quick breakfast snack they take on the go.”

A menu shouldn’t be limited to healthy options, according to Companion. A mix of options ensures catering to all guests’ taste preferences.

“There’s always going to be that guy or girl that wants that solid, diner-style breakfast,” she said.

“We want everyone in the group to find something they can enjoy.”

The average check for quick-service breakfast is $4.78, compared to lunch at $7.18 and dinner at $8.74

85 per cent of breakfast visits occur between 6 a.m. and noon.

How to promote healthy breakfast options Highlighting ingredients that boost a menu item’s nutritional value is one way to emphasize what your restaurant has to offer, according to a report on breakfast by food research and consulting firm Technomic.

High-protein and fibre-rich meals, for example are in demand by consumers.

Using whole-wheat or multigrain tortillas, swapping oats for quinoa and featuring fibre-rich fruits in smoothies are opportunities to increase fibre at breakfast.

For protein, consider using peanut butter or healthier meats like chicken or bison sausage, nitrate-free bacon or chicken chorizo.

As well, Technomic recommends pointing out what isn’t in the dish. If the item is low in sodium or

fat-free, let your guests know the benefit.

With customers demanding ethical and ecoconscious ingredients, the use of buzzwords may help draw attention to a menu item.

Terms like ‘pasture-raised,’ ‘hormone-free’ and ‘cage-free’ create what Technomic calls a “healthhalo effect,” which some consumers perceive as having healthier qualities.

The company also notes initiatives like glutenfree and local eating are not short-lived fads.

However, consumers do not want to sacrifice taste for health. Creativity in the kitchen is the best method to capitalize on changing demands.

Technomic suggests swapping syrup for peanut butter on waffles or fibre-rich avocado on multigrain bread as healthy menu alternatives.

February 2016 | 7

Feast aims to revive original Canadian cuisine

By Bill Tremblay WINNIPEG – Christa Bruneau-Guenther is surprised her new culinary venture is considered a unique business.

Feast Café Bistro, which opened in December in Winnipeg’s west end, features a menu created using First Nation ingredients and recipes.

“I’m surprised there are not more restaurants that are First Nation. To me it’s the most truly Canadian food out there,” said BruneauGuenther, a member of Cree First Nation.

“The (ingredients) grow from our land. They’ve been growing here for hundreds of years.”

She hopes her restaurant will inspire others to rescue Canada’s traditional cuisine.

“If you travel to Italy or China, you’re going to find Italian or Chinese food on every corner,” Bruneau-Guenther said. “When people come to Canada, why aren’t there more restaurants showcasing the beautiful, traditional food from our land?”

Since opening in December, the bison burger has become one of Feast’s most popular menu items. Bruneau-Guenther said Indian tacos, pickerel sliders and squash cakes are also some of the café’s go-to items. The average check is about $10 to $15 per person.

“Squash, I think, is such an underrated vegetable, but it’s so versatile and so sweet. And it is a traditional First Nation food,” BruneauGuenther said.

Aboriginal ingredients also translate to local ingredients. For breakfast, Bruneau-Guenther incorporates Saskatoon berries, an ingredient native to the Winnipeg area, into smoothies and donuts.

“The Saskatoon berry for a Manitoban is more local and more familiar than the blue-

Pow wow Indian taco.

Christa Bruneau-Guenther. berry. Blueberries are way up north,” she said.

While all of Feast’s menu items may not be purely First Nation recipes, Bruneau-Guenther said she ensures every dish incorporates traditional ingredients.

“It’s hard to traditionally eat the way they did,” she said. “It is a bit of fusion, every single menu item has one or two, sometimes three, four or five, traditional First Nation ingredients in it.”

Mixing burgers with technology VANCOUVER — In a quickly growing menu category, Reyaz Kassamali wasn’t going to get in bed with just any burger concept.

“At the end of the day the burger market is relatively crowded, so for me, it was really important to have a concept that is differentiated,” said Kassamali, president and chief executive officer of K Franchise Systems, which has the rights to CaliBurger in British Columbia, Wash-

8 | Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News

ington and Oregon.

Kassamali opened the first North American CaliBurger location in Seattle on Oct. 21 and is working to get the Vancouver outpost open this spring.

“It’s gone off really well and we’re excited.

It was the first store, people were nervous, it’s proven the concept in the market now because before we were always in foreign locations,” he

Bannock bison burger.

Inside the café, the walls are decorated with First Nation artwork.

Above the bar, a six-foot tall filmstrip features 10 photos of aboriginal ingredients.

The eatery is finished in mostly natural wood and stone.

“It is kind of bringing in all those elements from the land,” Bruneau-Guenther said.

The idea for the 50-seat restaurant was created while Bruneau-Guenther was working as a

daycare provider for at-risk inner-city children.

“One of the biggest challenges I found in these children was connecting their families to healthy and First Nation food,” said BruneauGuenther.

She began teaching the children about gardening, healthy ingredients and traditional First Nation recipes.

“That was what triggered my passion for First Nation food,” Bruneau-Guenther said.

said. “This is proof of concept for the North American market and I think we’re excited to grow from there.”

Located at 830 Thurlow St., the Vancouver location is 2,200 square feet and will seat about 45 guests.

“CaliBurger encapsulates the California burger experience, which yes it has its roots in another chain, but it’s taken that experience and taken it to a different level,” said Kassamali. “At the end of the day, what do you have? You’ve got a premium, fresh product that’s made to order at a value price compared to the high end of the market these days.”

The company’s co-founders grew up in California with In-N-Out Burger and the menu is admittedly similar. In fact, when the company first opened overseas in China, In-N-Out took legal action over trademark infringement. CaliBurger renamed its burger and fry offerings.

CaliBurger also sells spiked milkshakes and beer.

The price point for a combo is about $10.50, falling in between the value and premium burger categories.

Kassamali said the wood panelling and warm tones augment the guest experience with a comfortable atmosphere.

“It’s really an update on the fast casual burger concept,” Kassamali said.

Vaughan Ont.-based gaming and technology company Pong Gaming Studios owns the Canadian rights outside of British Columbia.

While burgers are always a draw, Canadian

franchise partner Pete Crouse said a big part of the brand focuses on customer experience, specifically with technology. There are charging stations, the ability to preorder from a smartphone and a video wall made up of televisions.

Not only will these TVs display passive content, such as scenes depicting the California lifestyle and menu shots, but they will display a leaderboard for in-house interactive gaming.

“The whole idea is: is there a way to stay on the forefront of all the technology that millennials are looking for right now and to make that an offering in the store’?” explained Crouse.

The first Canadian location is slated to open in February near Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont. Following the opening of two corporate locations in Ontario, Crouse said the plan is to offer franchising in priority markets: Ontario, Quebec and Alberta.

On the West Coast, Seattle and Vancouver are both corporate locations. “We have already signed up franchisees in Washington state. The plan is to franchise from here; use these two as flagships and bring on strong franchising partners in the territories to open additional stores,” said Kassamali.

He plans to open between 40 and 50 units in Washington and B.C. over the next decade.

“We want to do it right, but we want to do it aggressively,” Kassamali said.

“It’s really going to start to roll in 2016,” said Crouse.

Progress and challenges Restaurants Canada President Donna Dooher outlines industry milestones and the hurdles that lie ahead

By Bill Tremblay TORONTO — With 2016 marking 25 years of consecutive growth in foodservice, Restaurants Canada introduced initiatives in an effort ensure the same result for the next quarter century.

On average, Canadian foodservice sales grew 4.3 per cent last year. Nationally, quick service restaurants recorded the highest sales growth in 2015 at six per cent, followed by caterers at 4.7 per cent and full service restaurants at 3.4 per cent. Drinking places were the exception with sales falling 5.4 per cent.

Throughout 2016, Restaurant Canada is projecting growth of about 3.8 per cent.

“For me, that is a really remarkable thing to have happening and to celebrate,” said Donna Dooher, president and chief executive officer of Restaurants Canada. “Some areas are stronger than others, and margins shrink, but it is indicative of the industry and how important the industry is in Canadians’ lives.”

Growth in sales is spurred by a changing lifestyle, according to Dooher. She explained busy lifestyles lead to more people opting for meals prepared outside of their home. Foodservice sales will climb to a projected $77.7 billion this year, compared to $28.7 billion in 1991.

“Imagine we didn’t have a foodservice industry. How could we function in modern day society without it here to support us?” Dooher said. “We’ve hit that tipping point in our industry. As a result, we have a lot of opportunity to take the industry to a whole new level.”

To leverage its momentum, Restaurants Canada has placed a “heavy focus” on its independent memberships throughout the last 18 months.

“We’re working closely with independent operators to really get a handle on what we can do to support them,” Dooher said. “And what we can do to help with the federal and provincial levels to move businesses forward.”

To assist its small business members, Restaurants Canada launched a members-only web portal, which includes tools, workbooks and information surrounding legislation that impacts the foodservice industry.

“We will continue to build on that aggressively in 2016, and ensure we’re offering everything we can to our independent members to grow and prosper,” Dooher said.

The portal was created to help satisfy the “on-demand” availability of information expected by emerging restaurateurs.

“When they want information, they want it right away. I recall many years ago, when I was building a sales model, coming down to the CFRA office and using their resource library,” Dooher said. “This was a process that took me months to do. Now we can turn things like that around in a week or day.”

Introducing the association’s Raise the Bar report cards was another successful initiative of 2015. The report cards, which graded each province on its regulations for alcohol, garnered attention throughout Canada.

“We had a tremendous amount of pick up on it,” Dooher said. “We were optimistic it was going to be successful, but we didn’t expect it would do so well.”

Although the report cards highlighted

issues with alcohol delivery province to province, Dooher said government was cooperative throughout the process.

“We were very transparent about what we were doing and why we were doing it. The governments have been very responsive,” she explained. “There’s a very significant role Restaurants Canada plays in educating, not only our members, but we also have a great responsibility to our governments to do the same thing.”

Now, Restaurants Canada is working to sustain the momentum of Raise the Bar. “We can’t just close it and put it on a shelf,” Dooher said. “We will be updating the report card each year as we move along.”

Looking ahead in 2016 Alberta is expected to present Restaurants Canada with one of the industry’s most arduous challenges, as the provincial government moves ahead with plans to establish a $15 minimum wage. The province also plans to eliminate its server wage.

“That’s a huge struggle and challenge for our Alberta operators, who are operating in an economy that has really stumbled,” Dooher said. “We see this as a big issue and one we will work tirelessly on.”

While an increase in wage costs presents its financial difficulties, Dooher sees a silver lining emerging from the challenge.

“It is an opportunity to accelerate the work that’s already begun in terms of looking for new ways to provide the best work environment you

can for your employees,” Dooher said.

Throughout 2015, membership surveys conducted by Restaurants Canada identified labour costs, shortages in skilled labour and the rising cost of ingredients as recurring concerns for restaurateurs. Profit margins for restaurants are expected to sit at about 4.2 per cent in 2016, compared to 9.6 per cent in 1991.

“When you’re in your restaurant, it doesn’t matter what size it is or how many units you have, the two biggest items on your P&L report will be labour and cost of sales,” Dooher said.

The price of industrial milk, used to create products like cheese, butter and ice cream, is also set to increase. The Canadian Dairy Commission has announced the price will climb 2.2 per cent effective Feb. 1.

“We have a great opportunity here to work with the dairy farmers, the commission and industry at large. The first step is to educate,” Dooher said. “Then examine if the system we’ve been working under for 60 some years is the best system we can give to consumers.”

Restaurants Canada has also had the opportunity to address supply management with the new federal government.

“We’ve received several calls from various ministers who are anxious to get together with us, and like-minded organizations,” Dooher said. “We’re optimistic this government will work with us, and at least listen as a starting point.”

Heading into 2016 also marks about a year in the president and CEO role for Dooher. She was appointed to the position on an interim basis in November 2014, after six years as a member of the board of directors. In June, the job became permanent.

“It’s an honour for me to be here and do this role. I don’t come from a corporate background; I am an independent restaurant operator,” Dooher said. “With that in mind, I’m bringing a fresh perspective to the organization.

I think I’ve been a support and help to the team here in terms of bringing the true challenges in the industry right into the organization.”

February 2016 | 9

behind the

Brand From the perfect ingredients to recipe development to kitchen equipment, the relationship between a chef and support from outside the establishment is key to creating outstanding dining experiences.

by Bill Tremblay

Rob Feenie

Cactus Club Café

When Cactus Club Café begins work on a new location, chef Rob Feenie is tasked with creating a unique menu that corresponds with the brand.

“Simplicity is key, which is the hardest outcome to achieve,” Feenie said. “For me it’s working with seasonal ingredients, local produce and producing a dish that people love to eat.”

Although Cactus Club has 28 locations throughout Canada, Feenie treats each menu separately. For the recent Toronto launch, the chef created eight new dishes including: Veal and Porcini Pappardelle, Lingcod Cocotte, Duck Confit, Rob’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Lamb Medina, Kale and Grilled Chicken Salad, Double Braised Short Ribs and Feenie’s Beef Duo. “We approach each location as a unique restaurant, and for our Toronto launch it was no different — we wanted to make an impactful first impression,” Feenie said. “This was a great opportunity to introduce some beautiful dishes created specifically for Toronto.”

When possible, the menu for each location is created using fresh, local and sustainable ingredients. While the menus feature signature dishes based on location, Cactus Club favourites are featured throughout the restaurant chain.

“Our menu is a mixture of classics and when we find a dish that works, of course we want to share with all our locations,” Feenie said.

In the Cactus Club test kitchen, Feenie works to create reci-

1 0 | Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News

pes capable of maintaining consistency at all of the restaurant’s locations. From there, he works with the company’s chefs across Canada to ensure the recipes are reproduced with uniformity.

“I always like to tell people that if you were to have the Butternut Squash Ravioli with Prawns in Toronto, then hop on a plane to B.C. and have them at our Coal Harbour location, and went back home to Toronto via Calgary and had them at our newest downtown location, they will all taste exactly the same,” he said.

Feenie, the first Canadian to win the title of Iron Chef America, joined Cactus Club in 2008. Raised in Burnaby, B.C., he developed an appreciation for international cuisine through dinners at his Japanese neighbours’ home. After graduating from Vancouver’s Dubrulle Culinary Institute, Feenie worked in some of Western Canada’s top restaurants.

“I’m always looking to cook simple, beautiful food. I’m particularly influenced by my background with French and Japanese cuisine,” Feenie said.

Throughout his career, Feenie has won the Relais Gourmand and Traditions et Qualité designations, the Mobil Travel Guide four-star designation, the AAA Five Diamond Award and two Vancouver Gold Medal Plates competitions.

Cactus Club is now working on its 29th location, scheduled to open in 2017 at Sherway Gardens in Etobicoke, Ont. Feenie isn’t sharing his ideas for the latest location’s menu.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” Feenie said.

Liz Gagnon The Banff Hospitality Collective has its culinary bases covered in the Alberta resort town.

Within a one-block radius, the restaurant group operates seven restaurants. Chef Liz Gagnon is tasked with ensuring each of the seven menus remain fresh and distinct.

“Every restaurant is definitely unique; it’s just important to stay within each restaurant’s concept,” Gagnon said. “There are so many different venues, but that’s the fun part of it. I need to be challenged so I like it.”

Park is the latest venue to open under the collective’s banner. The restaurant, which includes a distillery, is inspired by Banff National Park. Gagnon created a campfire-influenced restaurant to match Park’s theme.

“It’s definitely my focus right now, but I still can’t lose focus of anything else,” she said. “It’s hard when one place needs a lot of attention.

You have to make sure you’re not losing touch with anything else.”

Banff Hospitality Collective

Alongside Park, Gagnon is also developing the menu for High Rollers, a bowling alley and restaurant scheduled to open this winter.

Gagnon also overseas foodservice at Maple Leaf, an upscale steak and seafood restaurant; Bison, a chef-forward, farm-to-table venue; Magpie and Stump, a casual Mexican restaurant and bar; Balkan, which serves Greek fare; and the Bear Street Tavern, a pizzeria and pub.

While each restaurant has its own in-house chef, Gagnon said she is careful to avoid micromanaging the kitchens as a way to promote creative freedom.

“I give the chefs as much responsibility as I can,” she said. “I think it’s important so they can grow and become better chefs.”

Gagnon rotates between the seven restaurants to tweak existing menu items and test possible additions to the offerings.

“Whatever needs the most attention, I’m there,” she said.

Every three months, chefs and management meet to review each menu and sales reports.

“It’s a lot of analyzing and taking time to think about what we’re doing and not just doing it,” Gagnon said. “Is it staying with its theme?

Are we targeting our audience?”

Gagnon joined the hospitality collective about six years ago, when it operated three restaurants.

Gagnon’s interest in the culinary world was sparked after taking a job in a kitchen when she was 16-years-old.

“I knew that’s what I was going to do,” she said.

After high school, she enrolled in the Stratford Chef School. Following graduation, she began looking for a career in her native Ontario.

“There wasn’t really much work, so I thought I would come out west and see what is available out here,” Gagnon said. “It worked out pretty well.”

Hans Sell It’s common for a chef to kick an oven door shut. While it’s no surprise to kitchen staff, the action is puzzling to the engineers behind the oven’s design.

That’s why manufacturers hire foodservice professionals like Hans Sell, who has worked as Garland Canada’s corporate chef for a decade.

During the redesign phase of the company’s ranges a few years ago, Sell was presented with the oven door dilemma. After showing the engineers how he uses an oven, Sell proved he wasn’t the only chef incorporating his foot into the cooking process.

“I took them to a hotel and they watched the guys open and kick the doors shut,” Sell said.

“I test to fail. I also operate the equipment as it would be operated in the industry.”

The door was remodelled to ensure it could withstand at least 50,000 kicks without failure.

“Engineers live in a bubble in their own world,” Sell said. “They’re thinking everybody will gingerly close the oven door and we don’t,

Brandon Owen As corporate executive chef for Gordon Food Service, Brandon Owen is a member of many teams.

Owen, a certified chef du cuisine, leads the culinary side of the company’s retail and home meal replacement (HMR) segments. His role requires simultaneously working to develop menus for various clients to meet the demand of the growing HMR market.

“Retail is becoming the next restaurant. It’s growing like crazy,” said Owen, who is the first corporate chef hired by Gordon Food Service in Canada. “Everybody is doing some form of grab-and-go.”

In British Columbia, Owen explained HMR customers demand healthy and sustainable menu options.

“Everybody is time starved, but people still want to be healthy. Especially here on the Pacific Coast,” Owen said.

“Mum still wants to feed her family a really

Garland Canada

we slam it. There’s no time to do things gingerly.”

Working for Garland requires Sell to become an expert on various products, from pizza ovens to deep fryers. Garland serves as the distributor for Manitowoc — a manufacturer of various brands of foodservice equipment.

“It’s a huge portfolio of equipment,” Sell said.

Once a product is ready to move beyond field testing, Sell begins training sales staff on the new product’s ability, as well as for what the equipment is best suited.

“It’s not just about selling a product, it’s about selling a solution,” Sell said.

Consultation and product demonstrations are another aspect of Sell’s role with Garland.

“On a normal day I could be working with a major chain improving speed to table with new equipment,” he said.

Sell’s duties aren’t limited to Garland’s products. He is also responsible for organizing the

Garland Canada International Chef Challenge, held annually in Charlottetown, P.E.I. “It’s kind of like my baby,” Sell said. “It brings us as a large organization closer to the trenches.”

Sell entered foodservice following a childhood in the kitchen.

“It’s that typical story, I hung out in the kitchen with my mom,” he said.

When the time came, his father registered him in George Brown’s culinary program.

“Once I was there I just found my passion,” Sell said.

Following graduation he worked at numerous restaurants throughout Ontario, eventually opening his own bistro in the Muskoka, Ont. region. However, restaurant ownership began to clash with raising a family, and Sell sought the stabilized hours offered as corporate chef, eventually landing his position with Garland.

“It is probably the best gig in the world,” Sell said. “I tell people I skip to work everyday.”

Gordon Food Service

good meal, but in a timely fashion.”

Recipe development begins with a brainstorming session with the client before Owen begins to translate their request into a grab-andgo dish. The development process isn’t limited to finding the right flavour. Owen’s recipes also go through research and development for marketing, labelling and brand development. A series of soups, for example, must include diverse visual variety, as a way to highlight the different options — two orange soups wouldn’t make the final cut.

“They look at it from a merchandising perspective, I look at it from a flavour perspective,” Owen said.

Owen added he fine-tunes the recipe throughout the process to meet the customer’s needs.

“You could work with two different customer groups on the same thing, and they look at it completely different,” Owen said.

Shelf life is another important aspect of home meal replacement recipes. Owen’s creations must meet the predetermined lifespan of his various clients.

“You may create something that you think is beautiful, and everyone agrees it’s beautiful, but it doesn’t have the correct shelf life expectation,” Owen said. “So it’s scrapped from the program.”

Owen, a native South African, worked in restaurants, cruise ships and hotels before taking a position as a corporate chef. Canadians aboard cruise ships enticed him to emigrate from South Africa.

“They were just the nicest people in the world,” Owen said. “I thought I would come and have a look-see. That was 18 years ago. I had a look and never left.”

He joined Gordon Food Service about a decade ago, and has held his current role working with retail customers for about three years.

“There’s a massive satisfaction in being able to see one of our collective products go from ideation to seeing it on the shelf,” Owen said.

“There’s literally thousands of people a week that are putting that product in their shopping cart. It is very satisfying.”

February 2016 | 1 1

Browns plans to launch multiple brands Continue from cover “We like that target of between 10 and 15 stores a year. You can set up the whole head office and the infrastructure to accommodate that and it works really well,” said Morison.

However, he isn’t sure whether that number will increase as more brands are added to the Browns portfolio.

“I think in the end, if you just open 10 to 15 stores a year, even between all the brands, I think that puts us in a pretty comfortable spot to manage growth.”

Browns doesn’t collect marketing fees. Instead, said Morison, it focuses on marketing within the four walls of each restaurant by spending more on the decor and upgraded finishes.

“Two things happen: one, you get a nicer restaurant, but also, if you do it right, it has more longevity, it’s more enduring, it’s more timeless,” he explained. “I’m an old-school kind of restaurant guy, I call it Restauranting 101: if you get the temperature right, the music right, the service right and the lighting right, that’s just old school and people will enjoy the experience and good food and they’ll come back.”

Under the leadership of Morison, Browns Restaurant Group is devoted to constant evolution.

“I think I drive my people nuts a little bit, but whether it be by design or by food, we’re just going to keep evolving and changing and try to stay relevant and current,” he said. “It’s a lot more work up front, but I think it’s the right way to build a business.”

When Morison was with Cactus Club his focus was on the elements of a restaurant that involve the senses. While the creative side came naturally, Morison focused on learning the other side of the business — leases, legal, finances and management — with the advent of Browns.

“It’s helped mature me as a restaurateur, but

Browns Socialhouse, Langley, B.C. it also made me a much better, well rounded restaurateur because I can speak to almost any issue at any time now,” said Morsion, whose role sees him act as a consultant for the company’s directors.

While Morison describes his leadership style as tough, strong, pragmatic and demanding, he has the interests and success of his head office staff and franchisees at heart.

After high school, Morison enrolled in a professional cooking program.

“I never wanted to become a papered chef, but I wanted to learn about food,” said Morison, who had always had an interest in the foodservice and hospitality industry.

While working at Earls, Richard Jaffray proposed they go into business together, but Morison aspired to a post-secondary education in tourism and hospitality.

He applied to Red River College and BCIT without success.

“When I got my final rejection letter, I got on my 10-speed,” said Morison, who went to tell Jaffray he was in. The pair went on to open Café Cucamonga in 1986.

“It was all by default that I ended up into ownership. I saw myself maybe working at a Four Seasons one day, but it was not to be, because for whatever reason, I couldn’t get in,” said Morison.

Ironically, after two years operating the ice cream and sandwich café, BCIT asked him to speak to a graduating class on how to start a successful restaurant.

“It was the same class I had applied to two years earlier and I wasn’t accepted to,” Morison said.

They launched Cactus Club Café in North Vancouver in 1988.

“It was during that time that I realized there was a market for a smaller restaurant and to make it a franchiseable concept,” said Mori-

son. “Cactus Clubs were big and expensive; I thought by doing something smaller, more efficient, less capital to franchise, I thought that there was a business opportunity there.”

His goal was to create 10 millionaires in 10 years, and 20 in 20 years.

“Old-school Ray Kroc I call it; Ray Kroc always believed with McDonald’s that if you made other people successful first, your success would follow.”

Morison uses the analogy of a chassis for different car models to explain how Browns will roll out different brands using the operating system developed over more than a decade.

“When they build a car they have a chassis in the plant and they put different models on the same chassis,” said Morison. “What we’ve decided since we’ve developed these great operating systems, is that we can re-skin the model …

We’ll do a steakhouse, we’ll do a pho concept, we’ll do a sushi concept; we’re going to roll different brands onto the same chassis.”

The smaller-size concepts have a sweet spot of between 3,000 and 3,500 square feet, which can seat about 115 guests. There are exceptions, noted Morison, citing a Winnipeg deal in a 6,000-square-foot space with a large bar.

Morison gets to come to work, put pen to paper, and create a restaurant. A year and a half later he gets to walk the space and see that floor plan, the materials and colours he picked come to life. He can’t imagine doing anything else.

“I want to do this when I’m 93; I want to come to work and do this,” Morison said.

He doesn’t have a particular number of units in mind as to the long-term growth of the company, but he does have aspirations.

“I think we could become the first fullservice company in Canada to reach a billion dollars in sales. From the days of getting the rejection letters from hospitality and tourism programs to the day of hitting a billion dollars, that’s a good day.”

Safe Food Canada unveils education strategy TORONTO – Safe Food Canada The Learning Partnership (SFC) held an official launch event and panel discussion at Cirillo’s Culinary Academy on Nov. 27.

The non-profit organization — a collaboration between industry, government and academia — aims to create a standardized framework for learning about food safety and protection. “[This] means basically creating a blueprint and a set of curricula that people would follow to become food safety or food protection professionals,” said SFC president and chief executive officer Brian Sterling, who came onboard in August.

“Right now, there isn’t a standard … For example, HACCP 101, you can take that from any number of organizations and they’ll all be a little bit different,” he said. “With a whole bunch of things [going on] globally, not least of which is the changing regulatory environment in North America, this was an ideal opportunity to kind of do a reset so that we could actually start to train and educate food professionals in a consistent way to a consistent set of standards to a specific set of competencies that are re-

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Sylvain Charlebois (left) and Ted Bilyea. quired.” The idea is to make training more cost efficient and more effective, said Sterling.

“The mandate is all about food safety and food protection learning, but we’re not trainers.

We actually work through our partners to do the training,” he said.

Partners include associations, such as the

Food Processing Human Resources Council, GFSR, universities and colleges and private training providers.

The discussion panel included Canadian Food Inspection Agency president Bruce Archibald, Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute chair Ted Bilyea, Maple Lodge Farms chief

executive officer Michael Burrows, and Sylvain Charlebois, professor at the University of Guelph Food Institute.

SFC announced its strategy, founding sponsors and contributing partners who serve in an advisory capacity: the Canadian Meat Council; the U.S. Grocery Manufacturers Association Science and Education Foundation; Maple Leaf Foods; the University of Guelph’s Department of Food Science; and the World Bank’s Global Food Safety Partnership.

SFC recently completed a study of industry spending and return on investment for food safety training in Canada, the results of which are expected to be published in early 2016.

The organization is partnering with the International Food Protection Training Institute and other businesses to create a publicly available specification for training design and content.

SFC is tackling the subject of food protection, which in addition to food safety, brings food defence, food security and sustainability into the discussion. “We’re trying to change the language a little bit,” Sterling said, adding new lingo must be adopted internationally.

CHD Expert expanding in Canada CHICAGO — Global foodservice data and analytics company CHD Expert is putting more focus on the Canadian market.

“It’s become clear to us that there is opportunity; our customers are interested in Brandon Gerson. finding out more about Canada,” said marketing manager Brandon Gerson. “We’ve decided to dig into our Canada database and look for more information; we’re looking to penetrate more in the market.”

According to CHD, as of the beginning of this year, the Canadian foodservice operator landscape includes about 84,000 restaurants, 10,000 hotels, 50,000 food retailers, 24,000 education institutions, 6,000 healthcare facilities and more than 4,000 bars.

Within the restaurant segment, about 55 per cent of establishments (45,000) fall into the full service restaurant (FSR) categories, while 45 per cent (37,000) are limited service restaurants (LSR), which includes quick service, fast casual, delivery and takeaway and a limited service beverages sub-segment.

More than 91 per cent of FSR establishments are independent, with the largest FSR chain being Boston Pizza with more than 350 units. In the LSR segment, 43 percent of establishments are independent. CHD considers operations with less than 10 units independent.

Canadian iconic chain Tim Horton’s has about 2,600 units in operation, but Subway is the largest with about 2,800 stores across Canada. Rounding out the top five on the list of most prevalent foodservice establishments in Canada are: McDonald’s, Starbucks, and A&W Food Services of Canada, in that order.

Following the most common menu type of varied items, 11,000 establishments are classified in the pizza and pasta menu type.

Looking at some large provincial markets, Ontario has about 37,000 restaurants, while Quebec and British Columbia both have about 17,000 eateries.

In B.C., about 83 per cent of restaurants are independent as are 88 per cent of its more than 2,200 hotels.

In Ontario, 92 per cent of FSRs are independent and 44 per cent of LSRs are independent.

The France-based data company created its United States headquarters in Chicago in 2006 and partnered with Technomic in 2007.

Recently, CHD Expert started expanding its preopen data, identifying establishments for which the paperwork had been signed, but it hasn’t has its grand opening.

“As we were organizing our data, we found a way to identify establishments that are slated to open,” said Gerson.

CHD’s internal data is constantly changing and updated at the beginning of each month for its customers, which include suppliers, manufacturers and distributors.

“Within this business, it changes so frequently; new operators open and close every single day and in that, ultimately yesterday’s information is no longer 100 per cent accurate today and we’re adjusting those things internally and push those things on the first of the month every month,” explained Gerson.

COMING EVENTS Feb. 27-March 1: Canadian Society of Club Managers National F&B Conference, Fort Garry Hotel, Manitoba. www.cscm.org

March 1-2: Canadian Restaurant Investment Summit (CRIS) and Canadian Restaurant Operators Summit (CROS), Hilton Toronto Hotel. www.restaurantinvest.ca

Feb. 25: Canadian Association of Foodservice Professionals B.C. Leadership Night, Pacific Gateway Hotel, Richmond, B.C. cafp.ca

March 5-6: The Franchise Expo, RBC Convention Centre, Winnipeg. franchiseshowinfo.com

Feb. 28-March 1: Restaurants Canada Show, The Enercare Centre, Toronto. restaurantshow.ca

March 6-8: Seafood Expo North America, Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. www.seafoodexpo.com

March 8-10: International Pizza Expo, Las Vegas Convention Center. pizzaexpo.com April 2-3: The Franchise Expo, Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver. franchiseshowinfo.com April 12: LocalFare Tradeshow (Manitoba Restaurant & Foodservice Association), RBC Convention Centre, Winnipeg. mrfa.mb.ca

Have it all with Maitre’D POS Take orders from a fixed terminal or tablet Reduce errors using our order confirmation screen Take online orders Mobile app provides real-time reports and alerts Keep customers coming back with loyalty and gift card programs Update prices and menus with our web-based enterprise system Manage staff schedules and control labor costs Manage inventory and control food costs and waste

Visit us at Restaurants Canada in Toronto Feb. 28-29 & March 1st at booth 1909 www.maitredpos.com

February 2016 | 1 3

PEOPLE

Canadian named head chef of Noma Ottawa-native Ben Ing became head chef at Noma, the acclaimed, two-Michelin-star restaurant in Copenhagen, in January.

Ing started cooking at 18 while playing for the Ottawa Jr. Senators.

He attended Algonquin College’s culinary school while working part time at Ottawa restaurants including Fraser Café, where he met two of his mentors chefs and co-owners Ross and Simon Fraser. “[They] were very influential on the way I cook now,” Ing told the Globe and Mail.

“They were there every day, it was their first restaurant, and

they welcomed me into the family. The way that little restaurant ran was incredible.”

Ing spent time travelling and cooking in kitchens in New York and Australia before landing in Denmark at Noma in January 2014 as a line cook.

“He went from being a line cook straight to head chef. It’s a testament to the person he is and his leadership skills,” Noma founder and owner Rene Redzepi told the Globe. “I asked all the sous chefs who they would think would be the next head chef, and even though they kind of were next in line, they all pointed to Ben. It was a 100 per cent unanimous decision.”

Photo by Mikkel Heriba.

Felix Zhou

Jay Wright

David Pace

VANCOUVER – Beach Bay Café and Patio recently appointed Felix Zhou as executive chef.

Zhou joins the beachside restaurant with a resume spanning Vancouver (West Restaurant, MARKET

by Jean-Georges, The Parker and, most recently, Big Trouble), and includes time in Whistler, B.C., (Nita Lake Lodge) and London (modern French bastion Galvin La Chapelle and pop-up restaurant Roganic).

In his new role, he will shine a spotlight on Beach Bay Café’s location steps from English Bay beach with a menu that prioritizes local ingredients, fresh seafood and approachable dishes that highlight the flavours of the West Coast’s regional bounty.

Zhou’s dishes include octopus and chorizo accompanied by couscous and peppers; house-cured salmon with avocado, beets and puffed wild rice; and risotto of celeriac topped with shaved black truffle.

Constellation Brands made several executive appointments across the organization intended to support the company’s longterm growth strategies, effective Jan. 25.

Jay Wright, currently president of wine and spirits, was named president of Constellation’s Canadian business.

Bill Newlands has been named president of the wine and spirits division. Ben Dollard, who was most recently president of Constellation’s Canadian business, has been named chief growth officer and will have responsibility across both the beer and wine and spirits divisions for driving the company’s growth agenda. Bill Hackett, who has been with Constellation Brands since 1984 and currently serves as president of beer, has been named to the newly created role of chairman of beer. Paul Hetterich, who has been with the company since 1986, has been named president of beer.

EMERYVILLE, Calif. — Jamba, Inc. announced in January that David A. Pace will be the company’s next chief executive officer.

A member of Jamba’s board of directors since 2012, Pace succeeds James D. White.

Pace is CEO effective Jan. 22 and will start with the company on March 14. Jamba also announced that Richard L. Federico, a member of the board since 2006 and most recently chief executive officer of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Inc., will assume the role of chairman and remain an independent director on the board.

Pace joins Jamba from Bloomin’ Brands, where he served as executive vice-president and president of its Carrabba’s Italian Grill since 2014. Prior to joining Bloomin’ Brands in 2010, he held executive positions with Starbucks Coffee Company, PepsiCo and Yum! Brands, Inc. Jamba, Inc., owns and franchises Jamba Juice stores through its subsidiary Jamba Juice Company.

PRODUCTS Fusion Rolls from McCain Foods

Colourful, but disposable NuTrend’s TASKBrand napkins are now available in the Topline Colour Series: gray, red, blue, and yellow and traditional white. The napkins are soft and heavy-weight, yet available for the fraction of the cost of real linen. The sturdy, non-woven fabric absorbs grease and oil, making the product suitable for messy meals like barbecue or fried food. Visit nutrenddisposables.com for more information about NuTrend’s line of disposable products.

McCain Foods Canada has released a line of appetizers designed for both speedy prep and personalization.

The new Fusion Rolls, which are hand-held, bitesized snacks, may be ready to serve within five minutes, and available in flavours of chipotle, barbecue, mashed potato and pizza.

They can be served on their own or chefs may add their own personal touches to make them stand out on the menu. To learn more about McCain’s Fusion Rolls visit mccainfoodservice.ca.

New line of dispensers released by SCA

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SCA, the producer of the Tork brand of Away-From-Home Professional Hygiene products, has released a full line of high-end Tork Image Design dispensers. The line of towel, bath tissue and soap dispensers aims to combine form, function and premium quality to enhance and complement washrooms.

“Tork continues to innovate within the washroom space by focusing on design-conscious customers, who want to provide a consistent, clean and highend experience,” says Cheryl Rickert, washroom marketing director for SCA’s Away-from-Home Professional Hygiene business in North America.

To view the product line, visit tork usa.com/imagedesign.

Libbey releases SCHÖNWALD Allure collection The SCHÖNWALD Allure collection from Libbey Foodservice is designed to accent the most artful of culinary presentations. Winner of the German Design Award 2016, Allure brings style and strength to the tabletop.

The innovative Noble China porcelain body, in BoneWhite colour, combines the graceful

look of bone china with the strength of hard porcelain. The Allure pattern includes plates, bowls, platters, cups and saucers.

SCHÖNWALD dinnerware is covered by a five-year limited lifetime warranty against edge chipping. To view the collection, visit foodservice.libbey.com/Artistry-Collection

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