Boston Pizza wants a slice of the Revelstoke restaurant pie.
An advertisement in the July 18 Times Review sought local interest in franchise opportunities in Revelstoke, so we contacted them to learn about their plans.
Boston Pizza Real Estate Development Manager Brian Novosel says the franchise has been interested in Revelstoke for some time and is “testing the market to see what kind of interest there is” amongst potential local franchisees.
“To be in Revelstoke we pretty much have to be on the highway,” Novosel explained, saying their plan was to locate at the new Revelstoke Crossing hotel and restaurant development planned for the intersection of Highway 23 North and the Trans-Canada Highway.
Why Revelstoke, why now? Novosel said the company considers many criteria including traffic counts and population, but there is also “an element of gut instinct.”
RCMP officer Jim Treliving (of CBC’s Dragons' Den fame) became a Boston Pizza franchisee in 1968 when he opened his first restaurant in Penticton. He eventually purchased the rights to the entire chain and has grown it to over 340 locations in Canada and more in the U.S. and Mexico.
“We’re still very early days in the whole process but we want to be there,” Novosel said. “We’re just seeing who could come to the table.” He expects it could take about two years before they open.
If a Revelstoke-based franchisee isn’t available, Novosel said they could look to existing franchisees in nearby markets.