In 1969, Pat Tarrant and Cyril Fleming purchased rights to open up the first Canadian Golden Skillet fried chicken franchise (originally from Richmond, Virginia) in Newfoundland.[3] The first location was located in St. John's Avalon Mall. However, Tarrant and Fleming were forced to rename the establishment for legal reasons. It was eventually renamed Mary Brown's Virginia Fried Chicken, after Mary Brown Guthrie (1909–1955),[4] the wife of Golden Skillet owner and founder Clifton W. Guthrie.[5][6] According to the company, Mary Brown, who was from Petersburg, Virginia,[4] was the creator of the chain's proprietary recipe for American Southern-fried chicken, which was sold to Tarrant and Fleming in 1969.[7]
In 2022, Mary Brown's acquired Fat Bastard Burrito, a premium burrito chain founded in Toronto, Canada. [9][10] In that same year, Mary Brown's was named Company of The Year by Foodservice and Hospitality Magazine.[11]
In 2024, the company opened their first restaurant outside Canada at Lisburn in Northern Ireland exclusively under the abbreviated name MB Chicken; they have opened a second location in Belfast.[12][13] They also intend to open locations in the UK, India, Pakistan, and Mexico in 2024. They plan to open another 300-400 international locations in the next five years. [14]
Franchises and corporate stores
Mary Brown's has about 20 corporate stores. The balance of its stores, about 249, are franchised and located throughout Canada.[15]
Mary Brown's has been a member of the Canadian Franchise Association for over 35 years. The establishment was awarded the Canadian Franchisees’ Choice Award nine years consecutively. In 2019, 2020, and 2021, Mary Brown's was named one of the Best Managed Companies in Canada by Deloitte Canada.[15]
Mary Brown's currently operates approximately 300 stores nationally.
Management
The owner of Mary Brown's is Gregory Roberts of PI Enterprises Group, an entrepreneur and chartered accountant from Triton, Newfoundland and Labrador. Roberts acquired the brand in 2007[16] and since that time, has grown the chain from about 67 stores to its current count of approximately 300 stores.
The president and COO of Mary Brown's from 2018 to 2024 was Hadi Chahin, a 20-year plus executive of the food services industry.[17] Prior to joining Mary Brown's, Chahin was the vice president of operations for Chartwells, a division of Compass Group Canada. He also held leadership roles with Sodexo Canada, Prime Restaurants and White Lodging Services.
Tony Samuelson, a longtime senior employee of the brand, was named CEO of the company in 2024. He previously held the titles of Global Chief Development Officer, and Vice-President of Operations.[18]
Marketing
The original slogan, which was discontinued in the 1990s, was "Mary Brown has the BEST LEGS IN TOWN!"
Mary Brown's now uses the slogans "Made Fresh from Scratch" and "100% Canadian" in their materials. "Crave Delicious" has become the brand's overriding tagline since mid-2019.[19]
"Made Fresh from Scratch" is a reflection of the brand's preparation methods, focusing on fresh rather than frozen chicken. Mary Brown's use the word "handcrafted" to express how they prepare their food.[20]
"Truly Canadian" was adopted as a slogan in 2017 to reflect the brand's heritage as a Newfoundland-founded, Canadian-owned business. Company materials note that the company is family-owned and operated by Canadians, and sells Canada Grade A chicken raised by Canadian farmers.[21]
Mary Brown's original logo was developed in the 1970s and updated in 2000.[22] In late 2017, the logo underwent a refresh as part of a more complete rebranding.
In April 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mary Brown's sponsored the temporary removal of all paywalls from Postmedia Network newspaper websites for the month.[23]
In October 2021, Mary Brown’s acquired the naming rights to the Mile One Centre in St. John's, in a 10-year deal valued at $1.5 million.[24]
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