Duane Hicks
Residents who have been eyeing the Boston Pizza sign in the west end of town, and wondering when they’ll have a new place to eat, won’t have to wait much longer.
With site preparation having started Monday, construction will begin in the coming weeks—with a tentative opening date slated for Oct. 19.
Not only will the much-anticipated business mean more jobs and more dining options for locals and tourists alike, but it marks the return of former residents Dale Fortes and Elizabeth Leishman-Fortes, who will be moving back to Fort Frances with their daughter, Isabella, this summer as the Boston Pizza franchisees.
“We’re very excited about coming back home in order to begin this chapter in our lives,” Fortes said in an interview yesterday from Winnipeg, where he’s currently director of retail support for Canada Safeway.
Fortes, who first moved to Fort Frances in 1997 and worked as assistant manager at the Safeway store here until 2002 before moving to manage stores in Dryden and Winnipeg before being promoted to his current position, said he “fell in love with the community and met some real lifelong friends.
“Elizabeth and I had it in our hearts to come back home sometime, and running my own business was always a dream of mine,” noted Fortes.
“We were faced with a decision as to our future and where our careers were going to take us, and it was best for our family to look at the opportunity in front of us.
“It was the timing of the opportunity, and that’s why we decided to pursue it,” he added.
Fortes said he and his wife found Boston Pizza to be the perfect choice for several reasons.
“One of the things that was important to us is to partner with a company that was committed to the community they operate in, and I tell you, hands down, Boston Pizza, like Safeway, is a first-class operation in a sense of community matters,” he stressed.
“They devote a lot of resources to supporting the community they operate in, and that was really important to Elizabeth and I.
“But not only that, but you look at the menu and the food, and it’s a lot more than the name says,” added Fortes. “It’s important everybody know we’ll have everything from chicken wings to pizzas to pasta to ribs—a little bit of everything for everyone.
“We are really excited about the opportunity, and coming home to Fort Frances, and being able to provide a choice and service to the community and tourists that visit,” he enthused. “We are really excited about it.”
After he competes an eight-week training course this summer, Fortes will operate the restaurant full-time while his wife plans to be part of the operation while at the same time furthering her nursing career in Fort Frances.
Fortes said the Boston Pizza here will be the first one of its kind—a prototype design geared towards a smaller market. The original plans were for a standard 6,000 sq. ft. restaurant, but the new design is for 5,400 sq. ft.
That said, it will feature a large dining area, full sports bar, and patio, just like those found in other Boston Pizzas.
It will employ 75-100 full-time and part-time staff.
A ground-breaking ceremony is planned for next Tuesday (May 19), although the exact time is still to be determined.
Fortes said construction is expected to be done the first week of October, with a tentative opening date of Oct. 19 (subject to change based on construction).
Tom Veert Contracting currently is clearing the site, which is located on King’s Highway just west of the Super 8 Motel. Platinum Construction Corp. will build the restaurant itself.
