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.
The creamy filling has leaked out of plans to bring a Robin's Donuts restaurant to Flin Flon. The donut chain had hoped to begin constructing a new outlet at the Flintoba Shopping Centre this past spring, but a major roadblock came up when a qualified franchisee could not be found. "I ran out of time for the conditional period for the lease, so we won't be going at this time," said director of real estate Ted Church from his Burlington, Ont. office. Many residents expected a Robin's Donuts would open in 2004 after Church told The Reminder late last year that "Once someone steps forward to own the restaurant, it will go ahead." He had anticipated a roughly 2,200 sq. ft. outlet that would likely include a 24-hour drive-through. He was unable to provide an exact location at the Flintoba site. Although the pieces did not come together this time, Church said Robin's remains keen on Flin Flon and will consider future opportunities in the community. "It's a market we should be in," he said. Richard Straker, manager of franchise development, figured the company will likely take a second look at Flin Flon in the spring of next year. "It's an option for us in terms of development," he said. "It's not number one on our radar screen, so to speak, because there is quite a distance to travel outside of Winnipeg, our core market, where most of our stores are." Robin's franchisees are required to ante up a cash investment of $120,000 Cdn. and have a minimum net worth of $150,000. The average franchise fee is $25,000. The company first expressed interest in what is now called the Flintoba Shopping Centre in 2001. There are over 230 Robin's locations across Western Canada.
