The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Flin Flonners will be treated to a Robin's Donuts restaurant once a qualified franchisee enters the picture, a company spokesman said yesterday. "Once someone steps forward to own the restaurant, it will go ahead," said director of real estate Ted Church from his Burlington, Ont. office. The store is set to be built at the Flintoba Shopping Centre, though Church was unable to reveal its exact location at the development. In Church's view, Flin Flon is a perfect fit for Robin's Donuts, which considers Manitoba to be a core market. "There's no question we would love to put a Robin's Donuts in Flin Flon, that goes without saying," he said. "It's a viable market and we feel that we should be a part of it." Church expects the potential Flin Flon restaurant would be about 2,200 sq. ft., feature a drive-through and likely be open 24 hours a day. "Construction could probably start as soon as we can get into the ground, once the frost is gone," he said. "It would take approximately two to three months to build the building and another three or four weeks to fixture it. So if we started work on April 15, for instance, we'd probably be open by Labour Day or sooner." Robin's Donuts typically has an easy time finding franchisees, but the chain has not received a single application for the proposed Flin Flon location. The community's location Ñ 400 kilometres away from the nearest major centre, Prince Albert Ñ may be keeping buyers away, Church suggested. The company will continue to advertise franchise opportunities for potential buyers, he said. Franchisees are required to ante up a cash investment of $120,000 Cdn. and have a minimum net worth of $150,000 Cdn. The average franchise fee for the restaurant is $25,000. Robin's Donuts first expressed an interest in opening a restaurant at what is now called the Flintoba Shopping Centre in 2001. Established in 1975, Robin's Donuts is owned by Afton Food Group Ltd., which also owns the Donut Delite Caf, Mrs. Powell's Bakery, 241 Pizza, and Eatery Ruffage chains. There are over 230 Robin's Donuts locations across Western Canada. Meanwhile, The Reminder has not been able to confirm or deny rumours that Boston Pizza is planning to open a restaurant the the Flintoba Shopping Centre. The appropriate spokesperson for the pizza chain did not return calls.
