Starting her breakfast business was a must for Cora Tsouflidou, founder of Cora’s, the booming breakfast chain from Quebec.
It wasn’t a “let’s see where this will take us” type of venture. Instead, it was Tsouflidou’s way of surviving.
“Surviving was my business strategy. Of course, when I started, I never thought it would be a big chain,” Tsouflidou tells Metro. “My strategy was doing something with myself, surviving, feeding my children, but very quickly I realized that I created a product that was exactly what the customer wanted — amazing breakfast products that people were starving for.”
Starting a business from scratch is a difficult process for anyone, but add the demands of being a single mother to the mix and the stress levels double.
It wasn’t an easy time getting her business off the ground, but she managed better than she imagined.
“I find it was terrific because my kids have been my support since the beginning. Maybe if I was married I would have a screaming husband,” she says. “But my kids were my support, they would come to work with me on the weekends all the time. So for me being a single mom gave me the biggest motivation — I had to do it, I had to make it.”
Famous for its breakfasts, Cora’s is now operating in eight provinces with a total of 90 restaurants. Having a 20 per cent growth in its overall revenue just last year, Cora’s will be opening 21 new locations from Nova Scotia to British Columbia.
The Cora Franchise Group Inc. has won several awards and was named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies for the third consecutive year.
Tsouflidou says it’s the homestyle atmosphere and wholesome ingredients of her extensive menu that keep her customers coming back.
“In this fast life that we live in, for people who don’t have time to eat, Cora’s is really the answer to the good food,” says Tsouflidou. “It’s about giving the customer what they like, and so they keep coming back for a wholesome breakfast.”
