By ADELLE LARMOUR
Capitalizing on a dream has led 44-year-old Mark Torchia of the The Torchia Group in Timmins to build and expand 15 restaurant franchises in only 13 years, a significant contribution to the economy of northeastern Ontario.
“My intention was to have one store 13 years ago,” he says in a matter-of-fact tone, sitting in the brightly-lit Timmins Wendy’s restaurant, his first foray into the food franchise business.
Now, he has a network 12 Wendy’s franchises (the largest franchise in Canada has 14), one Quiznos Sub and two Boston Pizzas from Timmins down to Alliston. With approximately 650
employees, Torchia operates everything out of the head office in Schumacher, just outside of Timmins.
Although proud of the growth coming out of the small Northern Ontario town, he attributes his success first and foremost, to his dad, who gave him the opportunity, and secondly to his employees.
“The reasons we are where we are today is my dad, who is one of my partners, and by surrounding myself with great employees.”
After six years of owning a car dealership, Torchia approached the Wendy’s franchise group as a candidate. He endured a four-day evaluation, received approval and built his first restaurant in 1993 in the downtown core of his hometown. Since that day, he has not looked back.
For Torchia, the appeal of owning a franchise is the prescribed system - from advertising to pricing food items, from colour schemes to the way the food is prepared and cooked.
“Just follow it and it works,” he says.
However, motivation and willingness to take risks has led him to where he is today.
Kathy Corriveau, 13-year general manager of Wendy’s in Timmins, sees Torchia as a risk taker because he is branching out to different types of businesses.
“He is trying to bring variety to the town of Timmins.”
It is this motivation that has driven him to not only open more Wendy’s franchises, but to explore newer franchises, such as the Quiznos Sub and Boston Pizza restaurants.A Quiznos Sub, which came out of Denver, Colorado, has been in Canada for 10 years. Torchia opened the Timmins sub shop as a silent partner with his sister Carla, who wanted to get into the food business. He estimates the store is one of the top five in Northern Ontario.
“I thought that would be a good starting point for her,” he says, “and then she can move on to something bigger and better if she decides she wants to do that.”
During Torchia’s growth, he acquired an operating partner in 1998, Kerry Barbour, to look after his southern Ontario restaurants. This allows him more time to explore other opportunities, and remain devoted to the North.
He has entered into an area development agreement with the Boston Pizza franchise, requiring him to build five stores in six years.
“I have to do another three stores in the next three to four years.”
Torchia’s newest Boston Pizza opened in Sudbury earlier this year, and was hailed as a welcome addition to the RioCan development down the road from the New Sudbury Shopping Centre at Barrydowne Road and The Kingsway.
He also sits on the franchise advisory council for Wendy’s Canada. He acts as a liaison between the franchisees and the corporate people, who make sure the “recipe” works.
Undaunted by challenges, Torchia continues to build and develop his franchise business and strong teams of employees in northeastern Ontario.
“Wendy’s can give you the tools and franchise, but unless you have the people to put all those things together, it’s not going to work.”
