Liza Dournayan

Welcome to Mary Brown's Chicken & Taters History The first Mary Brown’s restaurant opened in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada in 1969. By 1972, Mary Brown’s had grown beyond the island of Newfoundland, opening locations in Oshawa, Ontario and Mississauga, Ontario. From there, the chain expanded west to Alberta, back east to the Maritimes and to the Prairies. More recently, Mary Brown’s has opened several locations in British Columbia as well as a store in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. In 2017, Mary Brown’s Diner opened in Englewood, Florida. Key Executives The sole Owner and CEO of Mary Brown’s is Gregory Roberts, an entrepreneur and Chartered Accountant from Triton, Newfoundland & Labrador. Roberts acquired the brand in 2007 and since that time, has grown the chain from about 67 stores to its current count of approximately 140 stores. The President and COO of Mary Brown’s is Hadi Chahin, a 20-year plus executive of the food services industry.Prior to joining Mary Brown’s, Hadi 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. Chahin is leading the drive to further invigorate Mary Brown’s, including a recent rebrand rolling out nationally in 2018 – as well launching the brand in new channels and expanding in existing markets. Marketing Mary Brown’s uses the slogans "Made Fresh from Scratch"​ and "Truly Canadian"​ Made Fresh from Scratch is a reflection of the brand’s preparation methods, focusing on locally sourced fresh chicken and farm fresh potatoes. Menu items are prepared and cooked by hand in each location, always in small batches to ensure peak flavour and juiciness. Mary Brown’s frequently uses the word “handcrafted” to express how they prepare their food. 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. Mary Brown’s cameo is frequently used in marketing. The cameo was launched in 2000 and has since become an integral part of the brand. Mary’s ‘voice’ is increasingly used in print and social materials, with Mary sharing ideas and comments. The tone and manner of Mary’s messages and all Mary Brown’s materials is homespun with a touch of irreverence and whimsy. Franchises and Corporate Stores Mary Brown’s has 14 corporate stores. The balance of its stores, 134, are franchised and located throughout Canada. Mary Brown’s has been a member of the Canadian Franchise Association for 35 years and have been awarded the Canadian Franchisees’ Choice Award 8 years consecutively. Mary Brown’s currently operates approximately 148 stores nationally. Based on past growth patterns and innovative new approaches, the chain has declared plans to reach 200 stores by 2020