Humble Beginnings

In 1975 Mike and Violet Hoffmann opened their first Pantry Family Restaurant in Abbotsford, British Columbia. This restaurant was built on a concept to provide friendly and attentive customer service, quality food, in a warm friendly atmosphere at affordable prices. This foundation, combined with their dedication and commitment made the very first Pantry Restaurant an instant success.

The Pantry Hospitality Corporation is a strong, family run business exclusively owned and operated by the founders, Mike K. Hoffmann, wife Violet, and their son Mike A. Hoffmann (Vice President). The Hoffmann’s are thoroughly committed and actively involved in further developing and expanding The Pantry Restaurants throughout the Canadian Market.

The Commitment Behind the Vision

The Pantry’s concept is based on the principle of purchasing the highest quality products available. We then prepare these fresh and wholesome ingredients to create outstanding meals for our guests. The word “Pantry” comes from an old British term used to identify the place where “fresh food” is kept in a home. Every decision that is made in our Corporate Office runs through the same filter; does this recipe or formula meet our Pantry Standards, and is it the best quality food we can produce? For example, in our kitchens we still boil potatoes and mash them – we don’t use instant. We also cook our roast beef and turkey in our ovens, we don’t use processed meats; and we purchase our products from only Federally Inspected Protein Houses.

Our Pantry burgers are made from 100% Canadian Certified Angus Beef™; and all our steaks are centre cut, Canadian Certified Angus Beef™. Our bacon is a lightly smoked uniform centre cut, our vegetables of the day are always fresh, not frozen and the list goes on.

Success! The Pantry Expands

As new locations opened and The Pantry Brand grew in popularity and awareness, the Chain continued its development and removed the word “Family” from the name and a new logo was introduced. The Pantry repositioned itself in order to realize future growth opportunities as a “Casual Dining Restaurant”. This concept change included ongoing revisions to signage, exterior image, the interior décor, marketing with new trademarks, logos, uniforms, tag lines and menus, all creating a more “Casual Style Restaurant”.

Expansion and growth have always been carefully controlled since The Pantry Restaurants first began franchising in 1977. However, to ensure that consistency throughout the Chain is always maintained, growth has never taken precedence over the service and support given to our Franchisees, food quality or attentive customer service. The first expansion outside of the Lower Mainland began with Vancouver Island and continued with the development of the Okanagan market and into Northern B.C. The Pantry Restaurants are now located throughout B.C., with various locations in Alberta, and further expansions underway in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

In the late nineties, we realized the vast potential that many hotel properties held that would benefit and be complimented by The Pantry Restaurant’s concept. At that time we began a strategic plan to infiltrate this market. We designed a complete catering, banquet and room service program to facilitate the various hotels. A complete Sunday brunch buffet was also introduced in most Pantry Restaurants. Our brand is now affiliated with various hotels such as; the Holiday Inn, Ramada Inn & Suites, Super 8 Hotels, Best Western Hotels, Aston Pacific Inn and Travelodge Hotels. We also are situated in free standing sites and located in high profile malls.

Some of the hotel sites are branded with our Alexander’s Lounge concept. This cozy lounge has become part of our hotel partnership and features a high quality lounge for traveling and thirsty hotel guests. Alexander’s Lounge also features a unique menu that is specific to this market share.

The Future

The Hoffmann’s have always realized that change is a constant and they are committed to The Pantry’s expansion as a Chain. Through continual upgrading of the menus and recognition of ever-changing tastes, along with the constant interior and exterior design upgrades, The Pantry Restaurants has continued to give their customers the commitments that were first established and are still very evident today.

The basic concepts of attentive customer service, quality food and value, in a relaxed casual friendly atmosphere are all well established throughout. These principles are still the foundation The Pantry Restaurants are built on today.

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