Could Boston Pizza be coming to Wallaceburg?
While there are no immediate plans in place, representatives from the restaurant chain have expressed an interest to local business owners about developing a property in Wallaceburg.
Mark Childs, manager of the Black Goose Grill, was one of the names provided by the Wallaceburg and District Chamber of Commerce as a potential suitor.
After meeting with representatives from Boston Pizza’s marketing department, Childs said he was adamant that his family is not interested.
“They are looking for a restaurant refit for Wallaceburg,” said Childs.
“A current restaurant owner would have to secure financing, upwards of $600,000, for renovations that would transform their restaurant into a smaller scale version of a Boston Pizza. They promise lower food costs and a better profit picture, but apparently they don’t seem to think the interest on the $600,000 is a factor.”
Childs added that even if they were interested, the layout of their kitchen area would not be large enough for a Boston Pizza kitchen.
Perry Schwartz, director of communications for Boston Pizza International Inc., told the Sydenham Current they have an interest in the Wallaceburg market.
“At this time I’m not aware of any specific plans to open a new Boston Pizza location in Wallaceburg,” Schwartz said in an e-mail.
“We are certainly interested in the market but there are no immediate plans to proceed with a store.”
Boston Pizza currently has a location in Chatham, about 19 minutes from downtown Wallaceburg.
Overall, there are more than 365 Boston Pizza locations across Canada.
