Mezza Prepping For Second Moncton Restaurant
MONCTON–After opening its first Moncton location late in 2021, Mezza Lebanese Kitchen is prepping a second restaurant in the city.
In a call with Huddle, Mezza business development and franchising VP Peter Nahas confirmed plans for a second Mezza at 45 Plaza Blvd.
It’s expected to open in late spring or early summer in a 1,600-square-foot berth in the same retail location as Spartan Fitness and GameStop.
The location is near the Walmart Supercentre and across the street from Best Buy in a busy retail corridor near the intersection of Wheeler Boulevard and Mountain Road.
“We wanted to be near Mapleton and Mountain Road, and [we are renting property] smack-dab in the middle of it,” said Nahas.
“Some communities are just great, and this one is all-around great. It’s a shopping district, a long-standing market, and speaks for itself. It certainly fits in the profile of where we want to be.”
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Nahas says it costs between $650,000 and $700,000 to open a new restaurant. He added that Castone Construction is responsible for the fit-up work in the end cap unit of the building that Mezza is renting from Plaza REIT.
The new location will require Mezza to hire about 25 to 30 staff. Now that the chain has a footprint in Moncton, Nahas said promotion, hiring, and training will be even easier.
“It’ll be a great segue into the second,” said Nahas.
“The first is always a challenge in any new market, but once you can kind of leverage that first one and help open the second, it becomes that much easier.”
Months after Mezza first opened a drive-through restaurant at the corner of Morton Avenue and McLaughlin Road in late 2021, Nahas said plans are right on target, despite Covid-19 and supply chain-related setbacks.
“At the end of the day, we’re signing these leases with possession dates in mind; we’re right where we wanted to be,” he said.
“Now, have there been some supply challenges in equipment, etcetera? Absolutely, there have been some delays, but I think the whole world is facing that.”
Nahas also credited the “tremendous response” from Moncton and steady traffic to the first Mezza that opened in the city.
“Moncton has been warm, receptive, and we’ve been welcomed with open arms by those who’ve tried Mezza for the first time and Haligonians who’ve transplanted to Moncton,” said Nahas.
Locations
Mezza is not resting on its laurels. The chain took possession of the future home for its first Fredericton restaurant in the Crombie-REIT owned Uptown Centre on April 1 and has plans for a Dieppe restaurant. Mezza is also about to start construction for its first restaurant on Prince Edward Island, in Stratford.
Nahas expects to hire between 25 and 30 for the Fredericton restaurant, once construction wraps up. He said that while he’s close to finalizing a location in Dieppe, he was unable to further speak on the matter because nothing is official yet.
By the end of 2022, Nahas said he expects to have two Mezza locations in Moncton, one in Fredericton, and another in Dieppe. He noted that he’s also looking at other potential locations, like in Saint John, Riverview, and other parts of the Greater Moncton area.
“Whether or not we can sneak a Saint John restaurant in for 2022 is going to be tight–it might be early 2023. So, certainly, there are some great opportunities available,” he said.
“This is just the beginning of Meza throughout New Brunswick. We’ve been sharing love of the brand with Nova Scotians for 30 years and now we get to share it with all the Maritimes.”
Sam Macdonald is a Huddle reporter in Moncton. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].