i s h c o m p u b l i c at i o n s s i n c e 19 8 6
O
N
T
A
R
I
O
estaurant News R June 2014 Vol. 29 No. 5
N A T I O N A L
Mother’s is back
Mother’s co-owners Geeve Sandhu and Brian Alger.
Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40010152
By Jonathan Zettel, assistant editor
The kitchen’s only freezer is a small chest freezer for ice cream. KITCHENER, ON—Nostalgia was Sandhu said he and Alger located on the menu as the second Mother’s an original franchise owner who Pizza Parlour and Spaghetti House showed them the original sauce recfranchise opened in Kitchener on ipe and how the dough was prepared, May 5. which requires double proofing and Co-owners Brian Alger and Geeve 24 hours to make. The menu also Sandhu began revitalizing the brand includes spaghetti, panzarottis and in 2013 with the opening of a loca- salads. The brand—known for its 1920’s tion in Hamilton, ON, and plan to continue expansion by at least one ambiance including gingham tablestore per year. cloths, parlour-style pizza served on “We’re going to offer terrific value, a pedestal and Tiffany lamps—had great service and, above all, incredible more than 120 locations across Canfood quality,” Sandhu told ORN. ada, the U.S. and Britain. In the midAPPROVAL REQUIRED ‘80s, the franchise went public and in According toapproval. Sandhu, Mother’s the enclosed proof is sent for your We will not proceed with the job until the proof is returned. DO NOT GIVE VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS. CHECK CAREFULLY! 1989, Little Caesar’s bought the commakes as wemuch asresponsibility possible in-house Beyond this point cannot accept for any errors. alterations (other than typographical errors) will be charged extra. Mark proof “OK” or “OK with corrections” as the case may from itsnameoriginal recipe dough pany. Locations began closing in early be, signing your so we may know that the proof reached the properand authority. sauces, to granola and Italian sausage. in the ‘90s. Signature Of apprOval
C O V E R A G E
Alger said he grew up with Mother’s pizza as staple of his childhood and bought the rights to the brand the early 2000s. He and Sandhu—who owns three pubs and was previously a regional director for Jack Astor’s— joined forces in 2011. While the duo admitted nostalgia for the brand will bring many people into the restaurant, it will be important to provide an enjoyable experience to keep customer’s coming back. “Our service, our execution, and affordability—all of those things— must be real core principals for us to really excel,” Alger said. Michael Richardson of the Toronto-based design firm Jackknife designed the newest 150-seat restaurant. A glass case holds old, original memorabilia and photos. Other throwback shots of the brand, including a Polaroid of Alger’s 11th birthday at Mother’s, line the walls. “There’re just iconic elements that Mother’s shared, and anything we can do to bring that back in, I’m all for it,” Alger said, adding the restaurant would continue the tradition of giving a free dessert and taking Polaroids for birthdays and will also sponsor local sports teams. “One of the things that really made Mother’s was the way they were able to ingrain themselves in the community. We have old photos of kids whose T-ball team was sponsored by Mother’s or their hockey team,” he said. To open the Kitchener location, the city’s mayor Carl Zehr choose toppings for the “K-dub-ilicious” pizza from which $2 of each sale will go to children’s programs at the Kitchener public library. 4391 King St. East, Kitchener, ON. (519) 219-4999, www.mothersrestaurants.com.
R E G I O N A L
GROWING NEW IDEAS AT TERROIR CONFERENCE
CONTRACT BREWERS RULING SKIRTED
F O C U S
$ 5 . 9 5
6
INDUSTRY FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT AT CRIS
8
9
OFF TO THE DRAKE HOTEL FOR FESWICK
22
16 2014
Top 50 Chains Report
date
sherkston shores, ontarIo
JoIn the
converteD May 2014
wInnInG teaM Call Us now. NAME:
restaurantnews_ad_MaY2014-Bp
SizE:
10" × 2.875"
DATE:
MaY - 2014
Job No:
14-313
iNK:
CYAN
MAGENTA
YELLoW
bLACK
Felix DeCata Jennifer Murphy
905.361.3608 905.361.4836
DeCataF@BostonPizza.com MurphyJ@BostonPizza.com
convert your restaurant
to a Boston PIzza Just lIke sherkston shores, ontarIo DID. It’s worth a call. It’s easIer than you thInk.