By the end of this month, two popular breakfast and lunch spots in the city will be closing their doors.
The Tutti Frutti location on Loach’s Road in the South End closes Oct. 22, while its counterpart on Barrydowne Road is closing its doors a week later, on Oct. 29.
When the Barrydowne location posted the news this week on Facebook, the post elicited more than 100 comments from diners who lamented the loss of the popular Quebec-based franchise that has been serving the Nickel City since 2008.
Denise Boyer, the owner of the South End location and former co-owner of the Barrydowne location, said she is sad to be closing up shop, but it’s time to retire. She was also surprised by the outpouring news of the closures elicited.
“It’s flattering and sad,” Boyer said Oct. 6. “(But) I’m going to rest, travel and think about what to do next. I’ve got a few projects in mind.”
Boyer and her ex-husband opened the Barrydowne location Dec. 9, 2008.
Owned by the MTY Group of restaurants, Tutti Frutti is mostly a Quebec-based franchise. Barrydowne was the first location outside La Belle Province. With the closures in Sudbury, the Barrhaven location is the only Tutti Frutti outside Quebec.
Boyer said she used to eat at the restaurant when she lived in Montreal and loved it. She said it took some convincing to bring the franchise to Sudbury.
“It took nine months to convince them,” she said. But the couple was right. “People in Sudbury welcomed us with open arms.”
In 2011, she opened the South End location, while her ex-husband held onto the New Sudbury location.
While the restaurant remains popular, the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath have made running an eatery difficult, Boyer said.
Restaurants already operate on slim profit margins, and the rising cost of food, coupled with other increased fixed costs like a higher minimum wage have made things particularly challenging. Her food costs alone rose 40 per cent, Boyer said.
Staffing has also become a real challenge, she said. Since the pandemic, it’s difficult to find good staff and also difficult to keep them, Boyer said. When it’s hard to hire, it’s also hard to fire underperforming staff, she said. That said, she does worry for the 14 workers who will be impacted by the closure.
While she is sad to close and sad to bid farewell to her customers, Boyer said she is blown away by the response from the many customers who are sad to see her go.
“I’m overwhelmed that they’re going to miss us,” she said. “It’s been wonderful. I’m so proud of the business and so proud of the food. It’s really been a pleasure. Thank you, Sudbury, I’m going to miss you.”
Jennifer Neville and Jerry Pate, the owners of the Barrydowne Tutti Frutti since 2018, also made the decision to close their franchise location this month. The former City of Greater Sudbury workers loved feeding people and love giving back to the community by sponsoring teams and events.
“It’s been a fun ride,” Neville said. “It’s been a roller coaster,” Pate, her husband, added.
They credit their excellent staff with helping ensure their success, in particular Jessica, Keith, Priyanshi, John, Daniil and Ethan.
And while closing their Tutti Frutti franchise, the couple is not going away, they said.
“We intend to evolve as owners,” Pate said.
“Closure is just the first chapter,” Neville added.
Mark Gentili is the editor of Sudbury.com.
