How a Server Rose to Become a Successful Ben & Florentine Franchise Owner

Breakfast restaurant ownership is a dream come true for former server who was drawn to fresh, creative menu and family-friendly business model

Catherine Lefebvre’s dream of restaurant ownership came true when she bought the very Ben & Florentine™ breakfast location where she’d worked as a server.

Ben & Florentine franchise location serving breakfast

She could have invested in any restaurant, but after working her way up at Ben & Florentine she experienced first hand what has made the breakfast restaurant the most popular in Canada and a standout opportunity for investors — fresh, high-quality breakfast and brunch that customers crave and a flexible schedule that provides owners with work/life balance not always found in the restaurant industry.

“It’s been rewarding for me personally,” she says. “It’s fun to come to the restaurant every day, and I am really proud of the food we serve. Everything is fresh, creative and unique. Our menu is truly different from any type of breakfast concept that is out there, and that’s why our location has done so well.”

Lefebvre believes Ben & Florentine franchise will do well expanding beyond Canadian borders.

“I believe it will be successful in the United States and other countries as well because more and more people are concerned about eating healthy and fresh and that’s what we have on our menu,” she says.

Work/life balance and owner support set Ben & Florentine franchise apart

A mother of two, Lefebvre says the flexibility of a breakfast-focused business allows her workday to be over in the afternoon, freeing up her evenings.

“Owning a breakfast restaurant like Ben & Florentine means you can balance your family life and personal life because you finish at 3 o’clock and get to have all of your evenings and enjoy with your family and friends.”

Although Lefebvre was already familiar with systems at Ben & Florentine, she says the training and support from the global team at Kahala Brands™ and MTY Food Group™ have been extremely beneficial.

“Even though I really knew a lot about the restaurant it’s been very helpful when I have questions,” she says. “I like that I feel support when I have questions. And also with marketing as that was all pretty new to me.”

With her brother in the kitchen at her restaurant as chef and having invested considerable time in Ben & Florentine before transitioning to ownership, it’s no wonder Lefebvre says the restaurant feels like family.

“With our customers it’s like a family,” she says. “The customers and regulars become like a small family. The environment is really good.”

And that environment translates into a community restaurant where customers return time and again.

“If you want to be a successful franchise you have to care — care about the customers, care about the employees and have a respect for the food and the people and be really devoted to your customers and employees,” Lefebvre says. “You spend more time with them than your family members. When you care people notice, and they want to come back again and again because they feel at home in your restaurant.”

Learn more about Ben & Florentine franchise

For in-depth details about the Ben & Florentine franchise opportunity, request our free franchise report. You also can learn more by visiting our research pages