With a background in Restaurant Management and 29 years in the family business of restaurant operations, it is not surprising that Brian deHaan, a Calgary native, rose to the position of President of Juniors Food Services, the company that owns and operates the New York Fries and South St. Burger franchises in Calgary, Alberta.
“I’ve grown up in the foodservice business, and my family has had success in building out the New York Fries brand across Calgary. At the time that I moved into the role as president, we had grown to 10 New York Fries franchise locations in our market” says Brian, a husband and father of 2. “The South St. Burger brand was beginning to grow in Ontario, and naturally, after having success with NYF, I took notice and ultimately bought the territory rights for the South St. Burger franchise as well”.
Five years later, Brian has built three South St. Burger locations in Calgary, with two more locations currently in lease negotiations.
“The opportunity to grow the South St. Burger brand in the Calgary market has been a great move to grow my business. The brand is not only financially rewarding my bottom line, I enjoy running these stores because the quality of the product is so great; and my customers appreciate that. It makes owning a business that much more gratifying, when you are constantly getting feedback from customers of how great your burgers are, and how much they enjoy our restaurants.”said deHaan.
“As far as the franchisee/franchisor relationship goes, we are viewed as partners. The head office support is phenomenal; including excellent training, store design consultation, marketing programs that they have in place, both locally and nationally, to help me grow my business”, continues Brian. “I have tremendous trust and respect for the head office management team, and founder Jay Gould, as they always have their franchisees’ back. This is reflective in their lease negotiating prowess, their supplier relationships, (which helps me keep my purchasing costs in line), and their overall commitment to my success. I’d highly encourage anyone interested in owning and operating a restaurant franchise to get in touch with the South St. Burger team, or reach out to me for a detailed reference.”
