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19 Best Canadian Restaurant Franchises [Cost, Fees]

Do you want to start a Canadian restaurant with Japanese cuisine but you lack ideas? If YES, here are 19 best Canadian restaurant franchise opportunities for sale and their cost. When it comes to franchising, Canada comes next to the United States as the second-largest franchise market in the world. Interestingly, a good number of Canadian-based (owned and operated from Canada) restaurant chains are growing and have expanded into other markets, most especially into the USA.

This goes to show that there are loads of companies that are into franchising in Canada whose franchise unit can be sold to any interested investor in the United States of America and in any part of the world. If you live in the United States of America and you want to buy a Canadian restaurant franchise, here are the best Canadian restaurant franchises you buy in the United States of America.

19 Best Canadian Restaurant Franchise Opportunities for Sale and Their Cost

  1. Tim Hortons® Restaurants

Tim Hortons is a Canadian fast-food restaurant known for coffee and doughnuts. The franchise was founded in 1964 by Canadian hockey player Tim Hortons, and it signed its first franchisee in 1967. Tim Hortons has 3,665 franchise units all across Canada and are ready to expand to the United States of America. If you are interested in this franchise, you can contact them via their website for more details.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. Hero Certified Burgers

Hero Certified Burgers is a Canadian quick service restaurant franchise chain that operates in Canada, with locations concentrated in Southern Ontario. The chain was founded in 2004 by John Lettieri, who opened the first store in Hazelton Lanes in Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario. Lettieri is also the owner of the restaurant chain Lettieri café that is based in Toronto.

Interestingly, Hero Certified Burgers was the first Canadian franchise to focus on the provision of fast food using food products from vendors that adhere to sustainable practices. If you are interested in bringing this brand to the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. Humpty’s Breakfast Restaurants

Humpty’s is yet another Canadian restaurant franchise to buy. Humty’s is an all-day breakfast franchise chain that operates primarily in Western Canada, with locations concentrated in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The chain was founded in 1977 by Don and Jan Koenig, who opened the first location as “Humpty’s Egg Place” in Blackie, Alberta.

The family owned restaurant now runs roughly 50 franchise and corporate locations. If you are interested in bringing this brand to the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. A&W Food Services of Canada

A&W Food Services is Canadian-owned, and of course the country’s second largest quick service burger chain currently with 879 franchise units spread across Canada. The first Canadian restaurant opened in Winnipeg in 1956, and the restaurants were part of the American chain until it was bought by Unilever in 1972.

This makes A&W Canada’s original and fastest growing burger chain. If you are interested in bringing this brand to the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. Pizza Pizza

Pizza Pizza is a Canada-based pizza restaurant that opened its first restaurant in 1967 in Toronto by Michael Overs and they now have 752 franchise units spread across Canada. The Pizza Pizza network consists of Pizza Pizza and Pizza73 brands. Pizza73 is composed of more than 600 traditional and non-traditional restaurants coast to coast with over 3,000 employees.

The franchise has quickly grown with traditional and non-traditional locations such as university campuses and movie theatres. Pizza Pizza fills approximately 29 million orders annually and has won a Webby for their iPhone App. If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. Mr. Greek

Mr. Greek is a Greek-themed restaurant chain that is based in Ontario – Canada. It is the largest and fastest-growing Greek cuisine restaurant franchise in North America. Interestingly, there are 14 full-service (1 opening soon will make it 15 restaurants) and 13 Mr. Greek Express quick-service locations.

27 total locations all in Southern Ontario. Originally a casual dining restaurant chain that began franchising in 1993, it expanded into the fast food market in 1997 when it started the Mr. Greek Express concept. If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. Dairy Queen Restaurants

Dairy Queen Restaurants is another Canadian restaurant franchise that is up for sale in the United States of America. Dairy Queen opened its first restaurant in Illinois in 1940 then quickly growing to 2,600 franchises in 1955 and expanding into Canada in 1953.

Dairy Queen restaurants the world over have maintained a system as simple as it was in 1940. Dairy Queen Restaurants are known to be committed to customer satisfaction. If you are interested in buying this brand ins the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. Country Style Restaurant

Country Style Restaurant franchise opened its first outlet in 1963 and has the majority of its franchise locations in Ontario. They have 500 franchise units all across Canada. The franchise offers over 50 varieties of freshly baked donuts and an assortment of breakfast and lunch options.

Country Style franchise formats range from free-standing restaurants, to mall units to convenience store locations, making it a versatile opportunity for a great cup of coffee. If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. Eggsquis Restaurant

Eggsquis restaurant is a midscale chain of restaurants that operates in Quebec and Ontario, with 39 outlets as of 2018, mainly in Quebec. It specializes in egg dishes, from bacon and eggs to omelettes. The first Eggsquis restaurant was opened by Elias Stergiou in Sherbrooke, in 1995.

In 2010 the owners of the restaurant chain Chez Cora took Eggsquis to court, claiming that some of the dishes at its Mascouche location had been copied from Cora’s, including the names of the dishes. If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. BeaverTails (Queues de Castor)

BeaverTails pastry is a chain of pastry restaurants operated by BeaverTails Canada Inc. The chain’s namesake product is a line of fried dough pastries, individually hand-stretched to resemble a beaver’s tail.

Interestingly, BeaverTails (Queues de Castor) began in Ottawa and now has franchisees and licensees in six countries: Canada (Atlantic Canada, Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia and Quebec), the United States, Japan, France, U.A.E., and Mexico. If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

Available on Request

  1. Ben & Florentine

Ben & Florentine is a Canadian breakfast and lunch restaurant chain that is serving approximately 2.5 million customers per year. The founders used characteristics from their own families to create a concept of the chain. Each Ben & Florentine restaurant is owned individually as a franchise. Ben & Florentine was founded in 2008 in Saint-Laurent, Quebec and the first restaurant opened in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec. By 2011 it had 16 locations in the province of Quebec.

The chain has been a CFA member since 2010. The restaurant chain began by serving an extensive breakfast and lunch menu, and later extended hours to include dinner selections. In 2012 the chain expanded into Ontario, and by 2014 there were 31 locations. In 2015 the chain had 43 franchise units. If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. Boston Pizza

Boston Pizza (branded as simply Boston’s outside of Canada) has franchised 396 restaurants in North America. Boston Pizza International Inc. was Canada’s number one casual dining brand with more than 340 restaurants in Canada and system-wide sales of $831 million in 2008.

Annually, Boston Pizza serves more than 40 million guests. The first Boston Pizza location was opened in Edmonton, Alberta in 1964 by Gus Agioritis under the name “Boston Pizza and Spaghetti House”. It took 32 years to open its first 100 locations, and eight years for the next 100.

The current owners of the restaurant chain, Jim Treliving and George Melville, purchased the company in 1983, 15 years after Treliving bought his first franchise, and 10 years after he first partnered with Melville. Store sales growth has averaged 6.3 percent for the last decade compared to the industry average of 2.2 percent. If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. Chairman’s Brands

Chairman’s Brands is a privately held Canadian corporation that is dedicated to the franchising, development, and marketing of quick-service restaurants. Until 2006, its main operation was Coffee Time with operations in Canada, Greece, Poland, China, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The chain’s first store was opened in 1982 by Tom Michalopoulos in Bolton, Ontario.

In October 2006, the company doubled in size, when it purchased the Afton Food Group, a company whose assets included Robin’s Donuts, 241 Pizza and Mrs. Powell’s Cinnamon Buns. The company also operates Eggsmart, Captain Sub, and The Friendly Greek. In all, Chairman’s Brands operates more than 500 stores across Canada under its seven brands.

As of November 15, 2016, they operated eight brands with over 440 locations in five countries. The brands were 241 Pizza, Capt’n Sub, Coffee Time, Eggsmart, Mia Fresco, New Orleans Pizza, Robin’s, and The Friendly Greek. If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. Grinner’s Food Systems Limited

Grinners Food Systems Limited, the franchiser of Greco Pizza has been franchising since 1981 and Captain Sub, is a Truro, Nova Scotia-based company. It is owned by Trucorp Investments Incorporated. Trucorp, headquartered in Dieppe, New Brunswick, also owns Bonte Foods Limited, Frank and Gino’s Restaurants, and Chris Brothers food products.

Greco Pizza is one of Atlantic Canada’s largest pizza chains that was established in Moncton, New Brunswick in 1977. Menu items include pizza, donair, salads, garlic fingers, and the restaurant’s proprietary dipping sauces. Many of the over 170 locations in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland operate co-branded with Captain Submarine. Both are quick-service restaurants.

Captain Submarine was acquired by Grinner’s in 2002, when it only had 9 locations (21 fewer than it had in the 1980s). Many of the stores franchised since then also sell Greco Pizza items. The purchase brought the number of Grinners franchised restaurants from 111 to 120. If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. Imvescor Restaurants Inc.

Imvescor was the parent company of the restaurant chains Scores, Pizza Delight, Mikes, Baton Rouge with a history that goes back to 1968. It was known as Pizza Delight Corporation until 2007, when the name was changed to Imvescor.

As Pizza Delight Corporation, the company purchased Mikes in 2000 for $14.5 million, Quebec company Scores Rotisserie Barbecue and Ribs in 2005 for $32 million and Baton Rouge Restaurants. Headquartered in Moncton, the company was in charge of 259 restaurants across Canada (101 Pizza Delight, 91 Mikes, 39 Scores, and 28 Baton Rouge).

Before now, Imvescor used to be a privately-owned corporation that held the license for the trademark and intellectual property of the four restaurants by PDM Royalties Income Fund. In 2009, the income fund and Imvescor combined their businesses into a new corporation called Imvescor Restaurant Group Inc.

The four restaurant chains employed over 10,000 people. Total system sales in 2009 were $324.8 million. Imvescor is now owned by MTY Food Group, after being acquired in December 2017. If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: Low – Available on Request
  1. MTY Food Group

MTY Food Group is the parent company of 28 different franchising brands including Yogen Fruz Canada (operates locations as master franchisee), Mr. Sub, Tiki Ming, Mrs. Vanelli’s, Taco Time, Country Style, Thai Express, and Tandori. Founded by Stanley Ma, originally from Hong Kong, in 1979 when he opened his first restaurant Le Paradis du Pacifique in Montreal; the company incorporated in 1984 and joined the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2010.

It might interest you to know that most of the company’s growth came through acquisitions, but MTY also launched at least 10 of the franchises. The 25-year-old company oversees 2251[39] (up from 1741 in 2010) quick service restaurants (excluding Mr. Sub locations, about 35 of MTY’s locations are corporately run.)

Its latest acquisitions are Jugo Juice and Groupe Valentine. System-wide sales increased 17.5 percent in 2010 while the number of locations rose by 57, or 10 percent. If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. Recipe Unlimited

Recipe Unlimited which was previously known as Cara Operations are the operators of Harvey’s, Swiss Chalet, Montana’s Cookhouse, Kelsey’s Neighbourhood Bar & Grill, Milestones Restaurants, Pickle_Barrel and other brands. The company also provides catering services to airlines. The revenue for its 1200 restaurants and its airline solutions division in 2008 was over $2 billion.

Cara Airline Solutions operated about 10 flight kitchens across Canada that served more than 50 air carriers and rail travel customers. It was sold to Gategroup in 2010.

Montana’s Cookhouse started in 1995, was acquired by Cara in 2002, and operates 90 restaurants across Canada. There are 200 Swiss Chalet restaurants in Canada and the US. If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. C-Lovers Fish & Chips

C-Lovers Fish & Chips is based in Western Canada. The restaurant offers all-you-can-eat fish and chips, and serves ocean-wise seafood and locally sourced ingredients. Every December, C-Lovers restaurants donate $1 from each Prawn Madness dish to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. In 2012, the restaurant served about 150,000 prawns, and since 2003 donated $86,000 to the Foundation.

If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request
  1. Cora Restaurant

Cora is a Canadian restaurant brand that is based in Montreal. It has 128 restaurants and was founded by Cora Tsouflidou in 1987. Cora restaurants can be found in every province all across Canada. In 2008 the restaurant changed its name from Cora’s breakfast and lunch (in French, Chez Cora déjeuners) to Cora.

Serving such breakfast items as eggs, crepes and French toast, it is known for its all-day breakfast and heaping mounds of fruit. If you are interested in buying this brand in the United States of America, you can contact the company via their website for more details on how to go about it.

Financial Requirements

  • Available on Request