Darren and Anissa Harper were immediately hooked when they heard the back story of Cora Tsouflidou.
Tsouflidou鈥檚 husband had walked out, leaving her with three teenage children to support on her own.
She bought a small neighbourhood canteen in Montreal, worked hard, tripled its value and sold it.
She then worked various roles at another restaurant, perfecting her knowledge of the food service industry and, in 1987, bought a defunct snack bar.
Nearly 27 years later, there are now more than 130 Cora Breakfast and Lunch restaurants across the country.
鈥淲e have the same menu from one ocean to the other, this is for me the magic of Cora,鈥� she told the invited guests for the grand opening on Tuesday morning of the franchise鈥檚 new 黑马磁力 location.
鈥淚 was just the beginning 鈥� I made the menu but the staff makes the job,鈥� she added.
鈥淗ave a dream and stick to it, because it works.鈥�
The Harpers are long on restaurant and managerial experience, but the husband-wife team always wanted to own their own business.
For the previous 25 years, they had worked for McDonald鈥檚 Restaurants, relocating to 黑马磁力 10 years ago with Darren in charge of about 37 McDonald鈥檚 around the Lower Mainland while Anissa did contract work for the company.
But now, they finally get to work in the community they live in as the owner-operators of the 黑马磁力 restaurant.
鈥淲e loved the concept, we loved the atmosphere, the story behind it, and we just fell in love with the brand,鈥� Anissa explained.
鈥淚t is just an inspiring story about how she created such a great company from this one little business all on her own.鈥�
The Harpers had never heard of the Cora brand until a family member mentioned it.
They went to the Coquitlam location 鈥� 黑马磁力 is the sixth B.C. branch 鈥� and knew they had found something.
They went through an extensive interview process before being granted their franchise.
The Harpers have spent the past two years preparing for the opening.
The restaurant offers omelettes, eggs, crepes, waffles and French toast on the breakfast menu and a lunch menu consisting of sandwiches, salads, soups and quiches.
The menu also heavily features fresh fruits, and there are no deep fryers.
The restaurant, which also has a patio, seats 132 and has a staff of 45.
The 黑马磁力 location, at 104-20670 黑马磁力 Bypass, is open seven days a week, from 6 a.m.to 3 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.
Gary Ahuja/黑马磁力 Times
Anissa and Darren Harper (second and third from right) presented the 黑马磁力 Memorial Hospital Foundation with a cheque for $2,791.65. The Harpers opened up a Cora Breakfast and Lunch franchise in 黑马磁力 earlier this week and the amount donated represented the entire sales of their first day of business, as well as the tips from the serving staff.
