Jul. 10, 2026 "Restaurant franchisor MTY Food Group to axe 68 underperforming stores": Today I found this article by Tara Deschamps on BNN Bloomberg:
Restaurant franchisor MTY Food Group Inc. is taking a bite out of its own empire, closing 68 underperforming stores over the next nine months.
The Montreal-based company operating restaurants under 80 brands, including
Thai Express,
Manchu Wok
and Bâton Rouge,
announced the reduction Friday.
It said the closures will span some Papa Murphy’s locations
but did not disclose what other banners are part of the cull.
Chief executive Eric Lefebvre put the blame on a lack of sales.
The closing locations have collectively lost the company more than $10 million in the last year
and for the most part, their performance was “deteriorating.”
“The decision will reduce our store count in the near term,
but we believe it is the right long-term action for the business,”
he told analysts on a call.
“It will allow us to reduce losses,
improve the quality of the corporate store portfolio
and focus our resources on locations and brands with stronger return potential.”
MTY has 7,040 locations.
The vast majority are
franchised
or under operator agreements
and more than half are in the U.S.
About 230 — including the 68 closing — are corporately-owned.
The closures are part of a strategic review MTY began in November with an eye to boosting shareholder value.
It has warned the process, which is continuing, could result in a sale of the business.
As part of the review, Lefebvre said MTY analyzed each of its locations.
Where there was a path to improvement,
it invested in the store,
but in other cases,
the fundamentals just didn’t make sense to continue on.
Even though many Papa Murphy’s locations are on the chopping block,
the pizza chain saw a lift in sales when the U.S. men’s national soccer team played in the World Cup recently.
However, the brand is
facing intense competition
and a lack of consumer loyalty
that has made promotions even more necessary to drive sales.
Some of the closing locations were from three clusters of Papa Murphy’s stores MTY repossessed two years ago with a belief that they could be turned around.
“After nearly two years of efforts
and some successful turnarounds in those markets,
we came to the conclusion that these markets are probably not appropriate for Papa Murphy’s at this time
and we chose to close a lot of these stores in these locations,”
Lefebvre explained.
Yet he said the brand doesn’t account for the majority of losses
or the bulk of the $10 million to $12 million MTY will spend to shutter the 68 locations
and settle those leases.
More closures and sales of locations could follow, he said.
“It’s not a fire sale, but we’re also in the process where we can reduce the corporate store portfolio,” he said.
Lefebvre revealed the closures at the same time as MTY reported its second-quarter results. The period ended May 31 brought $15.4 million in net income attributable to owners or 67 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended May 31.
The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $2.49 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, MTY earned 97 cents per diluted share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.17 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled $279.9 million, down from $304.9 million in the same quarter last year, as same-stores sales fell 2.1 per cent.
Lefebvre said the quarter was shaped by
rising costs
and shifts in consumer demand.
“You look at chicken or beef, it’s gotten a lot more expensive.
The availability of some of our products, for example,
our ribs, is a little bit more challenging and the cost is going up,”
he said.
At the same time, consumer demand is “a little bit choppier.”
“It’s hard to say that the consumer is not consuming because they are going to restaurants and consumers are out there, but they’re certainly a little more difficult to attract to our stores at the moment,” he said.
“People are not throwing money at us
so we really need to work for each meal opportunity.”
Lefebvre wasn’t sure whether that’s a sign of the customer being more discerning
or feeling more of the pinch from higher costs.
Gas prices, for example, have risen significantly amid conflict in the Middle East.
“That does take away consumer discretionary dollars out of the restaurant space because it’s going into the gas tank,” he said.
“So we’re looking forward to see things going back to normal.”
---
Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press
Jul. 13, 2026 "The price of fish and chips is going up this summer in the Maritimes. Here’s why": Today I found this article by Jenna Olsen on CBC:
A dramatic hike in haddock prices
is forcing Nova Scotia restaurants to pass on the cost to diners,
as reduced quotas
and tightened supply drive up the price of the fish throughout the Maritimes.
The Pleasant Street Diner in Dartmouth, N.S., a local favourite for fish and chips,
serves about 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms) of fresh haddock per week.
But early this month,
its supplier increased the price of the historically affordable fish by 40 per cent,
or about $5 per pound.
Overnight, the diner's weekly haddock expenses went up $5,000.
This marks the largest increase that restaurant co-owners Stephen and Tommy Fatouros have seen
in their three decades in the fish business.
With haddock dishes
making up more than half their menu,
the brothers had to increase menu prices by 10 per cent because of the sudden cost hike.
“If we didn't raise our prices, you know,
we’d have to take fish and chips off the menu,”
said Stephen.
A tightened haddock supply is to blame for the price surge.
In April, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans cut haddock fishing quotas in areas off
southwestern Nova Scotia,
southern New Brunswick
and the Gulf of Maine
by 57 per cent, citing a decade-long decline in stocks.
“We don't want to use an inferior product
or even make our orders smaller,”
Stephen said.
“We always felt that the customer doesn't mind paying a little extra
if the product is the same
and the quality is the same.”
The increase also comes as the restaurant grapples with the soaring cost of canola oil, which is necessary for deep-frying fish.
Their weekly canola oil bill is now $700 more than it was last year.
“I hate raising the prices,” Tommy said. “It was a horrible weekend for me and my brother trying to figure out what we're going to do.”
The Pleasant Street Diner isn’t alone. Rudy and Olive’s Fish & Chips in Bedford, N.S., is facing the same 40 per cent hike in haddock prices, and announced in a July 3 Facebook post that its menu prices were also increasing.
The dramatic rise in haddock prices is the latest blow for the Atlantic Canada restaurant industry,
which has seen skyrocketing costs throughout the supply chain since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Natasha Chestnut, executive director of the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia, said restaurateurs have largely absorbed increased
fuel,
labour,
food and processing costs
without passing them on to customers,
but many are now reaching a breaking point.
She said 36 per cent of Nova Scotia restaurants
are operating at a loss
or just breaking even,
which is three times more than in 2019.
Chestnut expects more restaurants to increase their prices as they run out of ways to stay afloat.
“If they’re planning on still carrying fresh haddock on their menu,
they’re looking at those increases
and having to make those really tough decisions,”
she said.
In an attempt to keep prices reasonable,
the Pleasant Street Diner previously dropped scallops from its menu altogether.
Costs for the mollusks also soared this year after the DFO reduced the total allowable catch on Georges Bank by about 48 per cent.
Since customers already see rising costs on their own grocery bills,
Chestnut doesn’t expect many restaurants will receive pushback over increased menu prices.
“Consumers seem to be understanding that they are going to see some of these price increases on the menu,” she said.
“For the consumer, what's really important is that they’re still
getting quality,
and that they’re still getting service.”
The Fatouros brothers explained their price increase in a July 6 Facebook post, with online comments and diner customers alike lauding their transparency.
“Everything is delicious here, so a little increase is OK for the haddock,” Richard Powell, who eats at the diner every two weeks, told CBC News.
Two days after their announcement, the diner was packed with regulars when Stephen spoke with CBC News. He called the outpouring of support “humbling.”
“We're trying our best here and our customers have stood by us from the beginning and hopefully they'll stick by us,”
he said. “But there's a point where you can't squeeze people that much.”
My opinion: I like fish and chips.
Sun. Jul.26, 2026 Leo polls:
Mimose A, Ottawa, Ontario, would like to know:
In your opinion, what is the best way to reduce daily stress?
Exercise
31.91% (1955)
Get enough sleep
25.12% (1539)
Listen to music or read
16.96% (1039)
Take breaks throughout the day
15.26% (935)
Spend time with family and friends
10.74% (658)
My opinion: Take breaks throughout the day. I could be having a meal, drink water, stretch, dance, or watch TV.
Mon. Jul.27, 2026:
Toyota M, North york , Ontario, would like to know:
How do you usually start your day?
Check my phone (emails, social media, news)
54.20% (2198)
Have breakfast
24.51% (994)
Get ready and head to work or school
11.00% (446)
Exercise or stretch
6.51% (264)
Walk my pet
3.77% (153)
My opinion: Check my phone for emails and social media. A little news, but I usually read that later.
Tues. Jul. 28, 2026:
Stéphane B, Rockland, Ontario, would like to know:
Do you find that weather forecasts are often inaccurate?
Yes
68.20% (3005)
No
31.80% (1401)
My opinion: No. I go on Google and type in "Edmonton weather" and I can see when it rains during the day.
A few days ago, I was talking about the accuracy of weather forecasts with a couple of people.
Wed. Jul. 29, 2026:
Sheri B, Grand Bank, Newfoundland, would like to know:
Do you eat ice cream more often in the summer?
Yes
73.66% (3632)
No
19.14% (944)
I don’t eat ice cream
7.20% (355)
My opinion: No. I hardly ever eat ice cream.
Thurs. Jul. 30, 2026: I didn't copy and paste this:
How do you prefer to buy your groceries?
In -store 90%
Online 10%
My opinion: In-store.
Fri. Jul. 31, 2026:
Pierrette Lydie M, Québec City, Québec, would like to know:
Are you satisfied with this summer's weather?
Somewhat satisfied
52.98% (2169)
Somewhat dissatisfied
20.96% (858)
Very satisfied
19.25% (788)
Very dissatisfied
6.81% (279)
My opinion: Somewhat satisfied.
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