Want to stay up to date on the latest news and trends in the franchise industry? Every month, we’re rounding up the hottest and most interesting franchise news stories from the previous month to give you the latest insights to the Canadian franchise industry.
Read on to see the hottest franchising news from May, and check back next month for more industry updates.
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Parks Heads into Summer with Great Sales
For the first quarter of 2018, Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Parks has reported a 23.5 percent increase in park sales compared with the same period last year. This is great news as the campground franchise moves into summer, a busy season for vacationing families. The park’s performance marks the ninth year of continuous sales increases. The franchise attributes its success to an improved reservation system and new mobile app that allows campers to easily locate parks, pick their site and cabin, make reservations, book activities, and keep track of their rewards points. With its new addition of a park in Pouch Cove, Newfoundland, Jellystone Parks now has more than 18,000 campsites.
Minuteman Press International Climbs Franchise Direct’s Top 100
Minuteman Press International has been recognized on Franchise Direct’s 2018 Top 100 Global Franchises list again, and their ranking keeps climbing. The ranking takes into account franchise system size, revenue, and longevity, among other factors. This year, Minuteman Press International has jumped 34 spots to a rank of #51. It is also the highest ranking signs franchise. Minuteman’s franchise model has been a tried and proven system for over 40 years, and the global franchise offers key benefits to franchise owners such as training and ongoing support.
McDonald’s Canada Starts Serving Bagels
McDonald’s Canada has been piloting bagels in Ontario restaurants for four months, but this May the fast-food franchise giant started rolling out bagels in locations across the country. The menu addition comes as an attempt to stand out among the breakfast crowd. Breakfast has long been a fast-growing sector for restaurant franchises, and brands have been continually intensifying their breakfast offerings, including offering all day breakfast.
Boston Pizza Explores Pay-At-Table Technology
Boston Pizza restaurant patrons in the Greater Toronto Area have been testing out Boston Pizza and mobile payment technology provider MyCheck’s new pay-at-table function. This new technology allows customers to log into their MyBP loyalty app to view their check and pay their bill using Apple Pay or a credit card. Receipts are then emailed to the customer’s account and will be viewable in the app’s history section. The pizza franchise hopes this new technology will help enhance their customers’ experience.
Ctrl V Adds Franchise Territory Mapping Software
Virtual reality arcade franchise Ctrl V partnered with Atlas Mapping to offer territory mapping software to prospective franchisees. The software, Vision, overlays Google Maps with detailed demographic data showing the market potential in different territories. The new technology allows Ctrl V to better answer prospective franchisees’ questions regarding territory and helps franchisees better understand their markets.
Canadian Domino’s Franchisees Named ‘World’s Fastest Pizza Maker’
Werner Lomker, who owns 10 Domino’s franchises in Canada, has been named the winner of Domino9’s World’s Fastest Pizza Maker competition held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Competitors, all from Domino’s restaurants around the world, hand-stretched fresh dough, sauced and topped one cheese, one pepperoni, and one mushroom pizzas. The pizzas are then graded on dough-to-sauce ratio, topping portions, and topping placement. Lomker won the title by making three large pizzas in 57 seconds. He is the first Canadian to bring home the title.
Swiss Chalet to Offer Voice Orders from Google Assistant
Swiss Chalet Rotisserie & Grill announced this month on-the-go mobile ordering via the Google Assistant app for Android and iPhones. Customers can conveniently place a reorder of their favourite meals for pick up or delivery through the brand’s mobile platform by linking their Swiss Chalet account to their Google Assistant. This voice-enabled ordering is the first of its kind in Canada, and the franchise brand hopes it will enhance guest experience for the busy, on-the-go Canadian consumer.
Tim Hortons Piloting All-Day Breakfast
Amid franchisee controversy, Tim Hortons is hoping to regain both franchisee and consumer trust. To do this, the coffee franchise is piloting all-day breakfast in a dozen Ontario locations. The brand tested all-day breakfast previously in 2013 and have decided to roll it out now that consumer demand is so high for the meal. Tim Hortons is also looking at a kids menu, new packaging, kiosks, loyalty programs, and delivery as options for brand improvement.