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Where halal meets fast food franchising

Chadi Sreis and his franchise B12 Burger are making an impact in the Montreal food industry

 

Danial Farshchi and his friends enter a small burger shop in Laval. Inside they are graced by one room with a few tables and a counter to order food. From the back, they can see freshly cooked burger patties being flipped in the kitchen. When asked what to order, the group scours the menu available — the selection contains a wide array of halal angus burgers, subway sandwiches, fried chicken, and hotdogs. The young man decides to try the special B12 burger trio served with fries and chips. When he gets his order, he opens the box and is faced with a juicy halal burger. The enormous patty, practically the size of his own head, is covered in a huge load of cheese sauce, and stuffed with onion rings, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes.

B12 Burger was once a small mom-and-pop shop in Laval. It is one of the few local fast food restaurants that provided an option for halal burgers for Muslim Quebecers like Danial Farshchi.

“There are not many trusted fast food chains that are 100 per cent halal. A lot of places will say they’re legit, but there’s no proof, there’s no nothing,” he said.

One of the main competitors to the B12 franchise is Bergham, which serves halal subway sandwiches. Customers like Danial Farshchi believe their food is good, but the quality of service does not meet the same level as B12.

In 2018, the business caught the eye of entrepreneur Chadi Sreis. He is one of the owners of the Lebanese fast food franchise Boustan. Sreis is a respected businessman  who deals with an intense time schedule — our brief conversation was held on the phone while he was in his car. He was excited to discuss B12 and its origins while also bouncing in and out of other work situations that came up during our conversation over the phone.

“I tried out the burgers there and really liked it,” he said. “Initially we [Sreis and his business partners] were looking at all kinds of brands and this is one that we really liked. We believed in it and took it to the next level.” Three restaurants are now open in Laval, Kirkland, and Acadie Boulevard. “After acquiring the first shop, we had to go to the banks to loan us the money to set up our own burger restaurants.”

The growing franchise remains successful despite the pandemic.

“Our revenues went up because the big strip malls were closing, so all these small, quick service restaurants did fairly better in the pandemic,” he said. “The rent is lower, the space is lower, and the bills are generally lower.”

B12 made a yearly volume upwards of $1 million in 2020 according to Sreis. The store set up in Kirkland continues to have around 75 to 150 customers daily with an average customer spending around $18 to $20 on an order. “During the pandemic, the sit down [area] was closed, so our menu was strictly available to people who wanted to pick up and go, or delivery through third parties.” Expenses for the company increased with delivery services such as Uber Eats and DoorDash charging over 30 per cent on orders. Mr. Sreis asserted that the volume of sales during the pandemic balanced out the extra expense of third party partners without debt accumulation. “It wasn’t really that bad. Don’t forget we didn’t really need people to serve in the restaurant, and stuff like that. All you needed is people to cook.”

Going forward, Chadi Sreis has big plans for the B12 franchise. “Right now, our main focus is to expand the business. Montreal is still a virgin market for us, and we only have three stores.” The goal is to have 20 to 25 more locations on the island of Montreal in the next two to three years.

“There is a big demand on the product because it’s part of a niche market,” he added.

There are some things Danial thinks the franchise could improve upon. The locations are small and do not make for comfortable dine-in experiences. “When I go there with my friends… I can’t tell you how many times we sat on the curb outside the parking lot just because there’s no space in the seating inside!” he said. Another issue he has with the business is the food packaging. Often when he orders from them through Uber Eats, the food is delivered soggy and cold. He also wishes that the burger could be served better while also keeping its humongous size. “For the love of God, why can’t they cut the burger in half? When I pick it up it’s so messy and I have to make sure the burger doesn’t drop out of the buns.”

Graphics Courtesy of James Fay

 

McDonald’s Monopoly game is a win for the company

McDonald’s Monopoly game has quickly become a tradition for fast food enthusiasts

In 1987, fast food giant McDonald’s came up with a marketing tactic so clever and ahead of its time that it quickly ushered in a recurring yearly event for the chain. Their idea was to combine one of, if not the most, popular board games in the world, Monopoly, with their brand. The result: a worldwide tradition that generates hundreds of millions of dollars.

The idea behind the game is quite simple: Monopoly game pieces are printed on the packaging of various food and beverage items on the McDonald’s menu. You simply have to peel off the sticker and look at what it says. Three things can happen: you can win instant prizes, such as numerous food items, gift cards, or cash; you can win more specific rewards that can be redeemed online, like a Roku Streambar, a video game, a coffee maker or even a drill set; or the third and most common result, you get a special Monopoly-themed sticker that when combined with others can win you big prizes, such as $50,000 in cash, a new car or even a family vacation for four at the Universal Orlando Resort.

However, to win these prizes, you have to be in possession of all the pieces in a group, usually two to four, just like you would have to possess all properties of the same color group to build houses and hotels in the real Monopoly game. The catch McDonald’s uses compared to the real Monopoly, is that some pieces are going to be rarer to find than others. For every sticker peeled, all the pieces are going to be pretty common to find, except those that are next to impossible to track down. What often happens is that people will start collecting the pieces and might be one piece away from winning one of the bigger prizes. For a second, they think they have an actual chance of winning, but in reality, with a total of approximately 115,340,703 total game pieces, the odds of pulling one of the rarer stickers are so incredibly low that it is mostly a mirage.

This game is a great publicity stunt that generates big profits for the fast food chain. People will be more inclined to go to one of their restaurants because they have a chance to earn rewards by eating there. Since the event lasts one month, people are inclined to return more often in a shorter span, because the more they accumulate game pieces, the more they have a chance of winning. The game pieces don’t come with every item on the menu (such as smaller items like a small fry, snacks or a junior chicken), but customers are rewarded with additional game pieces if they purchase larger portions. For example, by upgrading your medium fry by a large fry, you would be rewarded with extra pieces. All of these tactics help the customer grow interest towards the game, which means they have a higher chance of coming more often to McDonald’s and most likely eating more intended.

Overall, the McDonald’s Monopoly game is a massive win for the multi-billion dollar franchise, because it creates a game that gives the illusion to customers that they actually have a chance to win the big ticket prizes. At least for the clients, some of the smaller prizes are winnable. Either way, the game succeeds at attracting more people to come eat at their franchises for a month straight, resulting in the chain restaurant reaping more than what they sow in a true Monopoly win.

 

Feature graphic by Madeline Schmidt

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News

Zoning bylaw means no new fast food restaurants to open in the CDN-NDG

Councillors in Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce are finding ways to promote healthy eating habits

No new fast food restaurants will be allowed to open their doors in the majority of the Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough – with the exception of Saint-Jacques Street, upper Décaire Boulevard and Plaza Côte-des-neiges – and the Quebec Superior Court is to thank. After a three-year battle with Restaurants Canada beginning in 2016, the Quebec Superior Court ruled to uphold the boroughs’ zoning bylaw.

Borough councillor Peter McQueen told The Concordian that only restaurants that don’t fry and don’t use paper plates and plastic cutlery will be allowed to settle in the area.

This ban was brought on by the ongoing obesity crisis in Quebec; whereby, according to the National Institute of Public Health in Quebec, abdominal obesity rates affect one third of the male population and nearly half of the female population. In an effort to break bad habits, the bill targets areas around schools. McQueen said “the way (students) eat, the kinds (of food) they eat, that has to do with the kinds of food that are available.”

A grandfather clause would apply to the existing fast food restaurants in the area. They will be permitted to maintain their current location, but if they close down, say goodbye to your favourite cheap pizza joint because they will have to find a space elsewhere.

According to the Institut National de santé public Québec, it calls for involvement from the community, the city council and the schools. McQueen affirms that councillors “have limited powers. It’s not like we’re going out there and, you know, finding entrepreneurs to open these restaurants. I don’t think that’s the role of the city council or the borough council.”

Le Dépôt, a community food centre in Montreal, is hoping to bridge these gaps. Beccah Frasier, Coordinator of the Youth Programs and “Boite à lunch” After School Program at Le Dépôt remembers a summer promotion hosted by a fast food giant where consumers were encouraged to purchase large sodas, with the promise of free refills all summer long.

“We wrote a letter to the councillors to say ‘this is problematic, giving kids endless access to a soda fountain’,” Frasier said. “I think some of these efforts to shut down some of the advertising to kids around junk food specifically came out of experiences like that.”

In addition to kick-starting the initiative to increase clean food security in the borough, they have put in place after-school programs and affordable local farmer’s markets on top of the traditional food donation services they regularly provide.

Nicolas Braesh, the Dépots’ farmer’s market coordinator said they target families in the neighbourhood that have trouble affording mainstream market food. He explains that to make a change in students’ eating habits, initiatives should be more concentrated towards schools.

“We’re not going to be against them banning new McDonald’s, especially near schools,” Braesh said. “All the fast food joints that are already here get to stay, so [the bill] is not very constricting.

Braesh sees kids from the nearby secondary school rush past the food bank’s windows with enthusiasm every day for a cheap double-slice instead. Most high school students aren’t in dire need of a diet change, but variety is important in order to build balanced and healthy knowledge of what eating should look like, according to Braesh.

It is crucial for school boards and provincial governments to address the cost of healthy foods and the current easy access to cheap, unhealthy options. “What we support is for schools to open cafeterias that make use of ‘le bon sense’,” said Braesh, highlighting the importance of access to a balanced and affordable meal for all students.

For Braesh, school lunches were simple. “At the time, we had a school cafeteria where it cost 3$ a day and you would get a full meal,” he said. He explained that during the process of passing the new initiative, school boards and institutions could have come if they wanted to.

While we wait for canteens to change, Le Dépôt runs many other after-school and in-class activities with different schools in Montreal. “We work with the kids and they learn to cook and make their own lunch. If they have developed a liking to cooking, they will be more inclined to want to cook their own food later in life,” said Braesh.

Frasier discussed the variety of programs that the organization offers, including elementary and secondary after school cooking programs. Students are taught how to meal prep, about a variety of ingredients and food transformation.

“Food skills and food literacy should be included in the curriculum, absolutely,” Frasier said. The after school program the food depot runs has its advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage being that the independence of an extracurricular allows for much more freedom to discuss any topic related to food security.

But even most adults have a cloudy knowledge of what constitutes a balanced diet and resources to access to clean food. To bridge the gap is to educate people. “The important thing about putting food literacy back into the curriculum is not to just do it in the same way we used to do it  long ago,” Frasier said.

 

Graphic by Victoria Blair

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Student Life

Slice of Life: Finding food around Loyola

Graphic by @spooky_soda

There may not be many, but here are some off-campus resto options

Among everything else on Sherbrooke St. W, the Loyola campus seems out of place. Isolated from Concordia’s buzz, the campus has few food options: Tim Hortons, the Hive Café and two food stops in the CJ and SP buildings. If coffee and BLTs aren’t what you’re looking for, there are many other options just around the corner.

Souvlaki George

6995 Monkland Ave.
Feel like Greek food? This place will definitely have what you’re craving. Only one block East of Loyola, Souvlaki George serves traditional Greek plates such as pitas, plates, or even Quebec delicacies such as poutine. Their soft bread, well-seasoned meat and creamy tzatziki will never get old.

“Souvlaki George has this depth of flavour that reminds me of my grandmother’s food,” said Elias Grigoriadis, a Concordia student of Greek origin. “I like how you can grab something and go, as well as sit down with friends and enjoy a good meal.”

Comptoir KOYAJO
6963 Sherbrooke St. W

If greek isn’t your style, a few doors down from Souvlaki George is Comptoir KOYAJO. The restaurant offers an array of soups, noodles, rice bowls and dumplings.

The cozy restaurant (just a short walk East from Souvlaki George) serves a plate of six pork or vegetarian dumplings for $7.99. These juicy, crispy exterior, soft interior dough balls are worth the snowy trek to Comptoir KOYAJO, trust me.

NDG HotDog & Pizzeria

7363 Sherbrooke St. W.
Comfort food anyone? On the other side of Loyola, right off the corner of Westmore Ave., NDG HotDog & Pizzeria will offer you a variety of fast food options. The smell of charred pizza crust mixed with day-old frying oil will take you right back to late nights out with friends.

NDG HotDog & Pizzeria is a great spot for all circumstances; $1.25 for a steamed hot dog, $3.99 for a hamburger or a 10-inch pizza for $10.60—ideal for sharing amongst friends or for a grab-and-go meal on the way to a late night study session.

“It’s good comfort food!” said Casandra Bentivoglio, a Concordia journalism student. “It’s cheap and it’s great when you’re in a rush and hunger strikes in the middle of class.”

Café Bistro Bano
6929 Sherbrooke St. W.

With Persian tapestries and colourful lampshades as decor, coming into Café Bistro Bano feels like entering an Iranian living room. The smell of freshly infused sweet tea with hints of saffron signals to the authenticity of this Persian-Iranian coffee shop.

This is the perfect stop to enjoy a well-earned warm drink after combating the freezing cold outside. With most of their authentic teas and desserts under $10, Café Bistro Bano is worth the two-block walk from campus.

Feature graphic by @spooky_soda

Categories
Student Life

Concordia’s new neighbour is a greasy goldmine

Photo by Alyssa Tremblay
Smoke’s Poutinerie’s first Montreal location is owned by two Concordia graduates. Photo by Alyssa Tremblay

Smoke’s Poutinerie has opened its first Montreal restaurant, setting up shop on Bishop Street just a jaywalk away from the Hall building.

Owners and Concordia grads Kathy Davey and Robert Sciascia say they couldn’t be happier with their location.

“We want to be involved with you guys—a student-friendly place,” says Davey.

Both Sciascia and Davey attended the university around the same time, but never met while they were there. Sciascia, an engineering graduate, calls this a “unique opportunity” for his family.

“This is the first time I’ve ever owned a restaurant,” he said.

The tiny shop offers 23 different types of poutine to-go packed into cardboard take-out boxes. The menu ranges from the tried-and-true classic cheese curds and gravy to adventurous flavour combos like curry chicken or nacho veggie.

Smoke’s founder Ryan Smolkin started peddling the Québécois comfort food to Torontonians in 2008 and has since opened over 20 poutineries across Canada. He emphasized that his franchise was about “giving back to those who support the business,” and said he is hopeful that Smoke’s will become an instant campus favourite.

Smoke’s Poutinerie, which opened Monday, April 2, is located at 2019 Bishop St. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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