Boston Pizza looks for Rupert investors

There was an interesting tweet out of the Prince Rupert/Port Edward Economic Development Corporation's twitter feed this week, a note that Boston Pizza had listed Prince Rupert as a possible city for development of a franchise of the Canadian restaurant chain.

The link from the twitter note offers up further information from Boston Pizza, helpful for those that may have the itch to get into the food service industry on an ownership level.

The Boston Pizza franchise system is one of the more successful of Canadian stories, with their restaurant and sports bar theme making for a popular destination in a number of cities across the country.

The modern growth of the chain gained momentum in 1983, when a former RCMP member  Jim Treliving and  his partner George Melville, who started their time with individual  BP franchises, purchased all 44 outlets of the chain.

From there the chain embarked on a growth plan that quickly made it a popular franchise opportunity, boasting over 300 locations now across North America.

On a local note, Treliving once spent time in Prince Rupert with the Mounties as it turns out and recently visited the community as part of his Television show the Big Decision, so he would be rather familiar with the community and it's potential for the brand.

Currently, the closest of the Boston Pizza locations is the one in Terrace, a location that has found its niche in that community's dining and entertainment scene.

Though taking on the challenge of the always quirky restaurant scene, is not something to take on without a bit of thought and a bit of cash.

The blueprint for a Boston Pizza restaurant calls for about 6,000 square feet of space on the inside and room for 50-75 seats on a patio section.

The Boston Pizza website outlines that the franchise fee for a Boston Pizza franchise is 60,000 dollars, with a total investment of 1.5 million to 2.4 million dollars. The minimum investment required is between 600,000 and 800,000 dollars.

You can review the entire Boston Pizza prospectus, including contact information from their website, the sit also features a section that answers many of the frequently asked questions.

Then it's up to you, upon approval, you could have your Boston Pizza operation up and running within six to seven months, just in time for Christmas party season!