Jeff Green | Jul 30, 2014
In May of last year, Anne Howes sold the Rising Bun Bakery to Rachel Hosseini, a construction project manager from Richmond Hill who wanted to move to Sharbot Lake and start up a Subway franchise.
“It took several months to formalize the franchise and do the Subway training, and then there was a delay as the renovations to the building to fit the Subway model took more time. As well, the winter was pretty hard for construction this year,” said Hosseini, who ended up opening the store just over a week ago, on Wednesday, July 23.
The customers were waiting, and the Subway restaurant, which is the first and only fast food restaurant anywhere in Frontenac County, has been busy most of the time since it opened.
The staff of 10 have been putting in long hours over the last week, none more than Hosseini herself, who has been working alongside her employees pretty much from open until close every day.
“It has been a challenge for all of us to deal with all of the work since you only learn so much through training, but everyone has done well. I'm ready to leave them on their own, but it is hard since I am a bit of a workaholic,” she said.
Subway has over 28,000 stores in Canada and the US and over 42,000 stores worldwide, so the brand is drawing some of the crowds into the store from Highway 7.
“I think having the store here will be good for the two other restaurants that are here,” she said, “because not everyone wants a Subway sandwich; people also want fries and burgers and pizza.
The other businesses in the area have been welcoming, she said. The closest neighbouring food business, Jossy, even brought flowers to her on opening day.
Rachel Hosseini was born in Iran, but moved with her family to Toronto in the 1990s, when she was still in high school. She studied Project Management at George Brown College, and then opened a construction company in Richmond Hill.
The appeal of starting up a new business in Sharbot Lake is partially the challenge, and also because she was drawn to the beauty of the village, where she is now renting on the lake, and to the receptiveness of the community.
“I love it here,” she said.
The Sharbot Lake Subway Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 7 am until 10 pm weeknights and 8 am until 9 pm on weekends. The hours may be altered a bit in the winter time.
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