Food Services :: Franchise FYI

Delivering on Food Delivery

Posted Monday, January 17, 2011 in Food Services, What's Going On

By Sebastian Fuschini

Buying into a franchise is a great way to start and grow your own business. At the core of the franchising model is a very simple notion: convenience for both the customer and the franchisee.

A franchise business represents an ‘instant’ startup; it usually includes extensive training and support, and entrepreneurs benefit from both brand identity and a buildup of accumulated knowledge, which, together, helps speed up the potential for immediate and future returns.

The Canadian marketplace is very competitive and full of options. With so many choices out there, selecting a franchise can feel overwhelming. After working in the industry for 30 years, I have learned it comes down to three basic golden rules: know your limits, know your edge and know your passions

Focusing on your edge
Before you sign onto a franchise operation, be sure it’s within your limits both financially and skill-set wise. If you believe food service is the right industry for you, do your research and understand the differentiators that set organizations apart and give them a competitive edge.

Read the full article: Delivering on Delivery

Tags: Building Your Future, Sebastian Fuschini

Manchu Wok Awarded Canadian Maple Leaf Silver Award

Posted Thursday, January 13, 2011 in Food Services

Manchu Wok was recently awarded a Canadian Maple Leaf Silver Award from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), recognizing excellence in retail design. The chain’s location in Le Carrefour Laval, Que., was honoured for its “minimalist approach and strong, contemporary identity.”

Tags: Franchise Buzz

Getting Your Food-Service Franchise to Stand Out From The Crowd

Posted Tuesday, January 11, 2011 in Food Services

By Tony Wilson

Looking into buying a food-service franchise but worried there are already too many pizza, sub, burger or coffee outlets in your chosen area?

Here’s a different way of looking at it: I was driving down Columbia Street in the Vancouver suburb of New Westminster a few weeks ago with an out-of-town friend who looked out the window and commented on the number of wedding dress and tuxedo stores in the area. There were as many as 12 in the space of just two blocks, as well as a few wedding photography studios. Nowhere else in B.C.’s Lower Mainland do you find such a plethora of bridal paraphernalia; all in a suburban sleeper community 25 kilometres from Vancouver’s downtown core.

Interestingly enough, all these wedding shops seem to thrive next door to each other, even though they compete. Why? Like auto malls and furniture stores, these shops are ‘clustered’ in one central area so that when you’re buying a wedding dress, you don’t have to drive across town to find another store. It’s convenient for the consumer to have competition next door, and convenient for the retailer to have a critical mass of shoppers who are all in the market for the same thing.

Read the article: Thriving in a Competitive Market

Tags: Breaking Through, burger, coffee, Pizza, Tony Wilson

Fatburger Opens New Location in Okotoks Alberta

Posted Monday, January 10, 2011 in Food Services

Fatburger, a U.S. hamburger franchise with 14 locations in Western Canada, has added a new location in Okotoks, Alta. The restaurant, which opened in October, is the third in the Calgary area, with two additional locations expected to open by fall 2011.

Tags: burger, Franchise Buzz

The Value of Intellectual Property in the Food Service Industry

Posted Friday, January 7, 2011 in Food Services, What's Going On

By Jean-Philippe Mikus

Increasing competition between restaurants and food chains have forced key players to delve deeper into intellectual property law to protect their interests. Several types of intellectual property rights exist. Most notable among them are copyrights, which protect human expression and are best known for their application to various forms of media (e.g. publishing, cinema, television, etc.). Trademarks help prevent consumer confusion over a product’s origins and protect the commercial reputation of a business, while patents protect the fruit of human inventiveness (e.g. an invention or drug), insofar as it can be put to use in industry. Of these, copyrights and trademarks are more easily accessible; unlike patents, they do not require registration or issuance by a government authority (such as the Canadian Intellectual Property Office).

Under copyright law, the accuser in the case described above may attempt to claim a dish’s composition or presentation is an artistic work, or the text of a recipe is a literary work. Despite the names given to these types of works, they need not be the result of any particular artistic impulse; the law simply requires a person use his or her judgment and abilities to create them.

In the culinary world, it is commonplace for recipes to be copied and recopied from one generation to the next, but there are cases where a certain degree of originality may be attained. However, certain Canadian legal decisions suggest protection cannot extend to methods and systems, but only to the manner in which they are expressed in a fixed manner.

Read the full article: Dishing It Out: Does intellectual property have a place in the kitchen?

Tags: Achieving Success, Jean-Philippe Mikus

Does Intellectual Property Have A Place In The Kitchen?

Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 in Food Services, What's Going On

By Jean-Philippe Mikus

The food-service industry is as competitive a market as one will find in franchising. New concepts are always being introduced, followed promptly by a slew of imitators trying to put their own spin on a successful system.

Prospective food-service franchisees look for many things when scouting opportunities—a strong brand, replicable results, ongoing support and valuable, protected trademarks under which to do business. However, the success of a restaurant concept, be it quick- or full-service, depends largely on the food itself. Are these assets as firmly protected? A recent dispute has arisen in Quebec calls this issue into question.

A contentious case
In September 2010, a disagreement arose between a Quebec-based full-service restaurant (FSR) chain and one particular franchise of another chain, both of which specialize in breakfast fare. The accuser alleges the accused was illegally copying some of its well-known dishes. These dishes, each of which has allegedly distinct and unique names, wound up at the centre of a debate in the press over the protection of dishes as copyrighted works.

Thus far in the food-service industry, restaurant trademarks and logos have been the subject of most lawsuits before the courts. Here, however, the right to control the use of certain dishes is squarely at issue. The accuser does not accuse the accused of stealing the name, design or logos identifying the chain; rather, it is the alleged appropriation of recipes, as well as the name and visual presentation of certain dishes, that are in dispute. There are no claims of misappropriation of secrets by an employee or business partner. The dispute merely questions whether intellectual property has a place in the kitchen and dining room.

Jean-Philippe Mikus is a partner with Fasken Matineau DuMoulin LLP, based in Montreal.

Read the full article: Dishing It Out: Does intellectual property have a place in the kitchen?

Tags: Achieving Success, Franchise Agreement, Jean-Philippe Mikus

‘Double Down’ Makes Canadian Debut

Posted Monday, January 3, 2011 in Food Services, Franchise Info

The ‘Double Down,’ the much-discussed KFC sandwich that made headlines across the U.S., was a big hit when it finally made its way north of the border this fall.
From Oct. 18 to Nov. 14 , Canadian connoisseurs could sample the unique offering, in which two fried boneless chicken breasts take the place of a traditional bun, sandwiching two pieces of bacon, pepper Jack cheese and a secret sauce. By the end of October, more than 350,000 of the sandwiches had been sold, making the Double Down the chain’s most successful new menu item ever.

“Canadians begged KFC Canada to bring the Double Down north of the border and it’s been our number-one customer service request for months,” says Dan Howe, chief marketing officer, Yum! Restaurants Canada. “It’s just been phenomenal for KFC, our customers and our franchise partners across the country.”

The sandwich generated global interest when it was launched in the U.S., where more than 10 million were sold in less than one month. In honour of the Double Down launch, KFC Canada started a Facebook page for fans of the decadent sandwich to share stories, videos and even eating techniques.

The famed Double Down sandwich from KFC debuted in Canada this fall and was sold for a limited one-month run.

Tags: Franchise FYI

Hold the salt

Posted Thursday, December 16, 2010 in Food Services

Health Canada is increasing its efforts to reduce salt in Canadian diets. A panel of 25 experts called the Sodium Working Group has issued new sodium guidelines aimed at reducing heart diseases and other conditions.

The report made six general and 27 specific recommendations regarding sodium, including a suggestion that chain restaurants post both salt and calorie contents on their menus. The group also called on food-service companies and processed food makers to voluntarily reduce salt content in their products.

Canadians currently consume an average of 3,400 mg of sodium a day. Guidelines suggest that should be lowered to 2,300 mg by 2016.

Tags: Franchise FYI

Wendy’s Revamps Salad Offerings

Posted Friday, December 10, 2010 in Food Services

Customers visiting their local Wendy’s now have four new meal-sized salad options to choose from.

The quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain, which originally launched its Garden Sensations line in 2002, introduced the new varieties this summer, promoting the change with an advertising blitz. Diners can now choose from the Apple Pecan Chicken, BLT Cobb, Spicy Chicken Caesar and Baja salads.

The offerings are designed to differentiate the chain from the competition by providing customers with “high-quality ingredients and interesting flavour combinations they would expect to find in a café or casual dining restaurant,” according to a recent press release.

Wendy’s also introduced new exclusive Marzetti’s dressings to accompany the salads, including Pomegranate Vinaigrette, Avocado Ranch, Lemon Garlic Caesar and Creamy Red Jalapeno. The chain also continues to offer its traditional garden and Caesar side salads.

Tags: advertising, Franchise Buzz, Franchise FYI, QSR

McDonald’s has New VP and Global Chief Brand Officer

Posted Thursday, December 2, 2010 in Food Services

McDonald’s Corp. has named Steve Easterbrook its executive vice-president and global chief brand officer. Easterbrook was formerly president and CEO of McDonald’s United Kingdom and president of the company’s northern Europe division. This newly created position is in charge of marketing, menu innovation and consumer insights.

Tags: Franchise Buzz, Franchise FYI

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