OAKVILLE, Ont. — Sunset Grill Restaurants launched the second location in a series of expansions into southwestern Ontario with an opening in Sarnia, Ont.
In addition to the Sarnia location, the chain opened a store in Windsor in June and is planning to open four more restaurants across southwestern Ontario, including St. Thomas, Chatham, Woodstock and a second site in London, Ont.
The expansion into southwestern Ontario has been spearheaded by Paul Sodhi, multi-unit franchise owner. “Our customers deserve a brand like Sunset Grill,” says Sodhi. “It’s such a beautiful business. I used to drive from Woodbridge to Newmarket for breakfast every Sunday for two years with my wife and one day I decided, I wanted to become a franchise owner,” he shares.
Sodhi currently operates eight Sunset Grill restaurants and has plans to expand that number to 20 by the end of 2020.
“Sunset is a clean, neat business. The profit margin is very healthy,” Sodhi says, noting his locations average a 17- to 20-per-cent return on investment, which is exceptional for the restaurant industry.
The opening of the Sarnia and Windsor locations brings the chain to 86 locations across Canada, with a focus on Southern Ontario, including the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area, with pockets in Alberta. The chain concentrates on high-traffic and highly visible street locations in addition to freestanding pad sites and end caps with patio (where possible).
Over the next 12 months, Sunset Grill is opening at least 20 new franchised units and is focusing on Canada (Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick) and select markets in the U.S., with numerous prime locations still available in Ontario.
