Mary Brown’s To Open In Oromocto This Spring
OROMOCTO–One of Atlantic Canada’s most prolific comfort food chains has chosen Oromocto as its newest perch.
In a recent call with Huddle, Luciano Radelich confirmed that Mary Brown’s Chicken plans to open a new restaurant in Oromocto in either late April or early May.
Radelich, regional hiring director for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and P.E.I., said the restaurant’s new 2,400-square-foot location at 9 Gateway Drive is undergoing simple fit-up work in anticipation of a spring opening.
“It’s a pre-existing building but the franchisees bought it and there’s just some simple renovations going on – and some exterior stuff that needs to be done, like turning the building’s old round windows into square ones that match other Mary Brown’s locations,” Radelich said.
The restaurant will sit close to the Trans-Canada Highway, alongside several other fast-food restaurants in a western corner of the town, near the Miramichi Road roundabout.
Radelich said the Oromocto location will be run by the same franchisees in charge of the Fredericton restaurant: Kirk and Ruth Preston.
When asked what made Mary Brown’s look to Oromocto, Radelich said Mary Brown’s is always looking for franchisees, at a variety of locations across the Maritimes.
He said that Oromocto, with its proximity to Fredericton and significant population as a community that serves CFB Gagetown, is an ideal location.
“This was driven by the franchisee–they saw an opportunity to be out in Oromocto. It’s a good area with a good population out there with the base, and so they decided to try it out there,” said Radelich.
In addition to Oromocto, Radelich said plans are in the works to bring new Mary Brown’s locations to Bathurst, Miramichi, and potentially Shediac in New Brunswick, and Halifax and Truro in Nova Scotia.
Radelich said there are few concerns about competition, even moving down the road from the local KFC.
“A lot of stuff is done in-store, whereas our competitors use pre-cut chicken and a different process,” he said.
There are four Mary Brown’s locations in New Brunswick: two in Saint John, one in Moncton, and one in Fredericton. The chain has 14 restaurants across the Maritimes, more than 40 locations in Newfoundland and Labrador, and more than 200 across Canada.
Mary Brown’s–previously known as Golden Skillet–originated in Newfoundland, where it was launched after its co-founders bought a chicken recipe from the North Carolinian, after whom the restaurant chain is now named, in the sixties.
Sam Macdonald is a Huddle reporter in Moncton. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].