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... we like global passport brands that give people an opportunity to try foods they may not have experienced before

“ We’ ve also been doing incredibly well in non-traditional sites. We have a lot of universities, hospitals and airports that are really excited about Mediterranean right now. We just opened one of these sites in Toronto – it’ s a 400-square-foot facility, comprising a Zoup and Frutta Bowl co-brand in a healthyliving lifestyle center. We’ ve learned that we must be flexible with these locations as they’ re generally operating several concepts in one space, and they often have a shared kitchen. Every space is unique in regard to concept, design, structure, layout and site plan.”

Operating in a diverse range of geographic regions has been a valuable factor in WOWorks’ development. It also has its challenges though- John divulges what these obstacles are and how the company tackles them:“ We do have areas where labor is less economical and it has become expensive to operate – even remodeling restaurants can cost 30 percent more in some parts and we’ re having to manage it through high quality operational expense control, managing waste, marketing aggressively and being extremely engaged in the business. During the pandemic, fuel and freight surcharges increased, as did real estate, labor and equipment. It has since levelled out to some degree, but never fully returned to pre-pandemic prices, so we must assess that every month. We carry out a competitive side-by-side assessment with our franchisees to understand where they may have outliers

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