3 Reasons to Open a Ben & Florentine Breakfast Franchise

Fast-growing breakfast & all-day brunch franchise is ready for rapid national expansion in the U.S.

Ben & Florentine is one of the most beloved breakfast brands in Canada. Since our founding in 2008, Ben & Florentine has grown to become the second largest breakfast chain in Canada, with more than 55 locations across the country. In that time, we have helped dozens of entrepreneurs realize their dreams of owning a breakfast restaurant that serves their community and provides the potential of a better quality of life, with more time for friends and family.

After proving the business model over a decade, Ben & Florentine is ready to expand into the United States for the first time, where the demand for breakfast and all-day brunch is an exploding market.

“Now is the best time to invest time in a Ben & Florentine franchise,” says Michel Lamontagne, Brand President of Ben & Florentine. “We’ve spent 10 years proving our business model in over 55 locations in Canada, and in that time we have developed a wildly enthusiastic customer base. Ben & Florentine is strikingly different from other breakfast chains, from the cozy chic of our restaurants to our menu, which is refreshed every six months. The breakfast market in the United States is growing rapidly, and there is little competition for us — most of the brands serve low-end, cheap, fast meals that you might feel guilty about eating later. We do the exact opposite — we specialize in high-end meals at an affordable price. We’re excited to welcome new entrepreneurs as we expand our brand in the United States.”

Here are three reasons why you should open a Ben & Florentine franchise in 2019:

Breakfast is the only restaurant segment that is growing

As The Atlantic Monthly reports, breakfast is the only segment in the $798 billion restaurant industry that grew during the economic recession in 2008 and continues to grow well beyond the rest of the industry today.

While the majority of the growth in the breakfast segment is due to fast-food giants getting in on the action, the market is primed for a breakfast concept that serves healthy, innovative and playful meals, is capable of serving customers of all dietary preferences and ages and has the ability to offer high-end and affordable brunch meals. In fact, this is what customers want: The NDP Group reports that 70% of customers want to see breakfast items on menus beyond the traditional breakfast hours — and with brunch fast becoming a way for millennials and baby boomers alike to unwind on the weekends, the potential for a brand to meet the demand is enormous.

Our food is fresh, innovative and exciting

Ben & Florentine has won thousands of fans by creating a menu that features brunch-all-day items, such as French Toast and Crepes, and bold, innovative flavor profiles such as our Mexican skillet, which places eggs on a bed of chorizo, avocado and our famous homefries. We also serve healthy treats, such as our fresh smoothies and our varieties of avocado toast. Most importantly, Ben & Florentine updates our menu every six months, not only to give our customers something new to get excited about, but to give our franchisees the opportunity to boost their sales and serve items that are trending nationwide.

“The proof of our concept being successful is definitely the fact that our existing franchisees are investing in their second, third and fourth location,” says Michel Lamontagne, Brand President of Ben & Florentine. “We’ve evolved in a highly competitive market, and our main point of differentiation is our food. We serve food that is fresh, healthy and innovative, and we give generous portions to our customers. We update our menu every six months to keep our customers excited to come back, which gives us an enormous competitive edge. We’re very excited to bring our concept to the United States, where there is a nothing like us in the market.”

You will be supported by two of the largest franchisors in the world

One of the perks of becoming a Ben & Florentine franchisee is that you will have the full support of Kahala Brands and MTY Group, two franchise giants who own 70 brands and have opened more than 5,500 locations in nearly 30 countries. A franchisor of this size comes with an in-house marketing and public relations team, which will not only significantly reduce the expense of promoting your business, but also will reduce the stress level generated by marketing a business on your own.

“The benefit of Ben & Florentine is you get the vast array of support from MTY Group and Kahala Brands,” says John Wuycheck, SVP at Kahala Brands. “Together, MTY and Kahala have more than 50 brands and 6,000 restaurants, and deep experience in operations, research and development, marketing and supporting the franchisees so that they can put their best foot forward.”