Curler sweeps into restaurant business

By Chris McGregor

ST. JOHN’S—As an Olympic champion curler, Brad Gushue is used to working in cold conditions. It’s apt then that he has invested as a franchisee of three Menchie’s frozen yogurt outlets in the Newfoundland capital.

As Gushue and his curling team continue to work towards repeating their gold medal from the 2006 Winter Olympics, this time in Sochi, Russia in 2014, Gushue went looking for an opportunity to bring something new to his hometown.

“When I was travelling, I came upon different concepts that were similar (to Menchie’s). One was in New York City. I came across Menchie’s and researched it. I went to Toronto to see the sites there, and I fell in love with the concept,” Gushue said, from St. John’s.

“It is something different for St. John’s. We have no frozen yogurt shops in the city.”

Gushue said he is confident of the success of Menchie’s, as it “is a healthier option to frozen desserts than we’ve had in the past. You can walk away not feeling guilty.”

Menchie’s is an American self-serve frozen yogurt chain that entered the Canadian market in 2010 with locations in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

Customers pick from as a many as 100 yogurt flavours and 70 toppings to create their own personalized frozen yogurt dessert. Blueberry tart, coconut, Georgia peach, Irish mint, peanut putter and pumpkin are among the dozens of available flavours, while toppings include fruity pebbles, Kit Kat, mangos, granola, cookie dough and cheesecake, among many others.

The first St. John’s outlet has an opening date of April this year, on Kenmount Road. Gushue said he wants to open two others in the city so “no one is more than a 10 minute drive away.”

Depending on how the three provincial locations perform, Gushue said he would also consider expanding to Cornerbrook or Gander in the future.

“I love the concept. I’ve been part of businesses in the past where I did not love what I was doing. My wife and I, we love it and want to bring frozen yogurt to Newfoundland and Labrador. On the other side, I’m not out selling things that are unhealthy.”

Menchie’s currently has 150 units operating in Canada and the United States, with another 200 either opening soon or in development. The company expects to have at least 250 stores open by the end of the year.