[Northern News Service] In her decision handed down June 13, adjudicator Shannon Gullberg stated that while she couldn't find any evidence that the termination of Sherman's kitchen job was discriminatory, she found the pranks with the stool and the continuous playing of offensive music during Sherman's employment at Boston Pizza was discriminatory under the NWT Human Rights Act.

"It is absolutely unconscionable that Sherman was subjected to sexually explicit music for a year and a half, and had to suffer the humiliation of having to search for a stool that was hidden from her," Gullberg stated in her ruling.

Gullberg ordered that the company that owns Yellowknife's Boston Pizza franchise, Mbotloxo Investments, pay Sherman $1,000 for the injury caused to her "dignity, feelings, and self-respect," plus $2,500 in punitive damages.

The rest.

 I was in the mood for something different so I ordered the bacon double cheeseburger pizza. This was my first experience ordering this type of pizza. I expected the pizza to be very much like a burger but in pizza form. This is how the menu described the pizza: signature pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, lean ground beef, bacon, onion, and mushrooms. To me the description makes this entree sound like it should taste like a cheese burger in pizza form.

Below is an image of the pizza.

My friend ordered the same pizza as me and her pizza turned out the same with little or no sauce and minimal cheese.

Overall, I would give the Bacon Double Cheeseburger Pizza from Boston Pizza a 3/10 score (ten being the highest possible score). It is one menu item I won’t be ordering again.

Simplement pour vous parlez de marketing et de mise en marché, ce qui a directement rapport avec l'investissement.

Ainsi, la semaine dernière, les 12 restaurants Kelsey's ont fermé au Québec dès le 15 mars et 414 emplois ont été perdus.

La compagnie Cara, cette bande nuls en marketing au Québec, j'y reviendrai, insatisfaite du rendement de la chaîne au Québec, a décidé d'y mettre la hache.

Josée Béliveau, directrice de compte chez Edelman Relations publiques, confirme la nouvelle en mentionnant que le concept offert par la chaîne n'a pas vraiment trouvé preneur auprès des Québécois.

Pure conneries ces propos.

Les restaurants Kelsey's offraient un concept de bar et grill pour des clients qui cherchent à manger dans une ambiance conviviale et informelle. Ses rivales immédiates sont les bannières Boston Pizza et Casey's.

Voilà la preuve qu'on a fait dire des conneries à la relationniste.  Boston Pizza et Casey's fonctionnent assez bien sur le territoire québécois malgré des prix assez élevés chez Boston Pizza.

La relationniste en rajoute en mentionnant qu'à part Anjou et St-Laurent les restaurants Kelsey's étaient surtout présents en banlieue de Montréal et qu'ils visaient une clientèle familiale.

Kelsey's compte plus d'une centaine d'emplacements au Canada et elle célèbre son 30e anniversaire cette année. La chaîne est surtout présente en Ontario.

Ancienne propriétaire de la chaîne de cafés Second Cup, la société Cara, de Mississauga, exploite aussi la bannière Harvey's au Canada. C'est aussi un traiteur pour 60 transporteur aériens.

C'est là qu'on y arrive.

Cara et le Québec ça ne fonctionne pas.

Les gens de Cara n'ont rien compris aux Québécois et leur territoire.

Swiss Chalet... flop au Québec grand succès dans le reste du Canada.

Harvey's... flop au Québec et grand succès dans le reste du Canada.

Second Cup... succès mitigé au Québec et succès dans le reste du Canada.

Le problème de Cara en est un de marketing et de mise en marché.

J'ai déjà contacté les gens de Cara pour qu'ils établissent un Harvey's dans un territoire bien connu, Drummondville, le centre du Québec.  L'halte routière préféré des gens qui voyagent entre Montréal et Québec.

Qu'est-ce que les gens de Cara m'ont répondu... des conneries.

"Nous avons effectué des études de marché et le territoire dont vous nous mentionnez ne convient pas à l'établissement d'une franchise Harvey's"...

Pure barratin à la con.

Coin Christophe-Colomb et boulevard Henri-Bourassa à Montréal, il y avait un restaurant Harvey's d'établi.... bien situé et maintenant il est fermé.  Pourtant il était très bien situé.

Je ne dis pas que les produits de Harvey's, Kelsey's, Second Cup et Swiss Chalet ne sont pas bons.  Au contraire, je crois que plusieurs de leurs produits, surtout les hamburgers de Harvey's sont supérieurs aux autres.

Mais quel est le problème alors?

Marketing et mise en marché?

Il y a quelques années, coin rue Sainte-Catherine et Berri à Montréal, tout juste à l'Est du magasin Archambault, Cara opère un restaurant Harvey's sur deux étages....  Achalandé au maximum sur l'heure du midi... bingo il est maintenant fermé.  Oui peut-être que le propriétaire des lieux, le magasin Archambault a mis fin au bail pour étendre son magasin.

Mais bon sens, aucun autre établissement Harvey's n'a vu le jour à moins de 500m de là.  Mauvais endroit encore, je suppose que les gens de Cara nous rediraient?  Pourtant c'était un coin très achalandé situé tout juste en face du métro Berri-UQAM (Berri-de-Montigny pour les anciens) :).

La question à se poser pour les gens de Cara c'est pourquoi McDonald's et Burger King réussissent bien au Québec et au Canada mais pas Harvey's?

Québec, boulevard Hamel, vers le milieu des années 90 Cara opèrent côte à côte un restaurant Chalet Suisse et un restaurant Harvey's.  Il y avait là tellement de monde le midi que c'est difficile de se trouver un stationnement.

Aujourd'hui on constate à cet endroit que seulement le restaurant Harvey's y est encore ouvert.
Mauvais endroit encore, je suppose que les gens de Cara nous rediraient?   Pourquoi les restaurants Score's réussissent bien au Québec et au Canada mais pas Swiss Chalet/Chalet Suisse?

Second Cup au Québec s'est fait damer le pion par les Tim Hortons, les Starbucks et les Café Dépôt.  Pourquoi ces derniers réussissent bien au Québec et au Canada mais par Second Cup?

Pourquoi les établissements de Cara ne fonctionnent pas bien au Québec et qu'ailleurs au Canada ça fonctionne bien?

Simple à comprendre.  Cara a été incapable d'ajuster son marketing aux Québécois et définitivement ses gens de mise en marché ne connaissent pas bien le territoire Québécois.

Si selon eux un restaurant Harvey's ne pourrait pas bien fonctionner à moins de 800m de l'autoroute 20 à Drummondville, j'imagine maintenant pourquoi beaucoup de restaurants Harvey's sont fermés dans la région de Montréal.

À ma connaissance les habitudes de consommation de restauration des Québécois ou des Ontariens ne sont pas bien différentes.  Parcontre la mise en marché et le marketing sont sans doute bien différent au Québec qu'en Ontario.  Mais pourquoi tant réussissent à opérer des franchises ici au Québec et en Ontario et que Cara échoue?

Un petit cours de Marketing au Québec 101 devrait être suivi par les gens de chez Cara.

Peut-être aussi que c'est tout simplement un besoin de mieux comprendre la langue française qu'on besoin les gens de chez Cara...

Then came Chixdiggit (inset - see! super cuties!). I knew they were from Calgary, and that was it. I was more than pleasantly surprised! The music was catchy and the band was super endearing, I could have taken them all home in my pocket. Adorable and good at what they do. Indeed.

Then came 10 Second Epic (no link for you!), who was not epic and I only watched 10 seconds of them prior to leaving to save my sanity. I dubbed it "you're-cutting-the wrong-way-music", bad emo shit. The last song they played was a radio "hit" on X92.9 (the radio show hosting the shindig), and one that I had found myself making fun of time and time again. I believe it's called "Count Yourself In", which is a whiney, nasally sap song that I imitate by making nasally noises in tune to the lyrics. The only good part about their set (which I could hear from where I had gone to sit) was their cover of Third Eye Blind's "How's It Going to Be" (I think that was it), which they announced they were not going to be performing anymore. Sad they're getting rid of the only good part of the show, but I must admire their dedication to not making music I enjoy.

So of course, Alexisonfire came on after that. 11:30 their set started (sooo late for me haha), and it rocked. Some songs were a bit off, like they were a few seconds off from each other, but no matter, because they gave it their all. Dallas Green was cute and charming, just doing his thing. The drummer...well what can you say about drummers, they rock out and sit in the back. Wade was amazing because I have my secret 50's poodle-skirt crush on him and all. The bassist, Chris Steele, looked like a serial killer with his epic (yes more epic than 10 Second Epic) beard and messy crazy hair. My only complaint about him was that he was wearing a white v-neck t-shirt that gave the illusion of him having well defined breasts. Intentional? I don't know. He ripped his shirt at the end, and indeed, he did not have boobs. And of course, my baby's daddy, George Pettit (again inset - sexy) was there, in fine form. *swooning*

Probably the best parts of the show were these:
1. When Wade kissed George. Awesome.
2. When they came back out on encore, said they had written a special song and it was the first time playing it, and ten proceeded to play the song they had just finished with, Accidents. Gotta love rock stars with a sense of humour.

And then I went home.

Oh, and I got attacked by several hardcore Tool fans, for wearing a Tool hoodie/being with Adam who was wearing a Tool hoodie. One good encounter with a guy who was a Tool fan, discussing seeing Tool in various places, I think his name was Garret Head (sp?) and he was talking about his band, which I cannot find. Sad state of affairs. Anyways. Side note: I hate people who are really into the music and get crazy and violent, yet insist on being crazy jackasses in the outer rings where the people who just want to stand politely or maybe toe-tap are. Jerks. Go into the mosh pit!

Leave tomorrow to go back to Lethbridge, and I can guarantee I will have a lot less to write about...

I was in Saskatoon last night and I was on my way to Boston Pizza. In order to get to my desired eatery, I needed to cross the road. Normally, I would have just jaywalked like any other efficient human being, but the traffic was busy so I decided to play it safe and traverse the road via the pedestrian walkway. I went to the edge of the sidewalk and pressed the shit out of the 'I'm-in-a-hurry-let-me-walk-across-the-road' button on the lightpost. When the happy little walker-guy finally lit up, I began to make my way across the street, my thoughts already drifting to what I was going to order.

Fear and horror took over about four steps across the street. When I looked back up to see the lit-up walker, I was astonished to see that he was gone, and in his place was a giant hand that blinked furiously, as if trying to give me a big, red high-five over and over again. I wasn't even halfway across the street and already the hand was telling me to hurry the fuck up. With my body struck by confusion and fear, I broke into a disoriented sprint. The wind blew fiercly in my eyes and caused me to begin to tear up. Through watery eyes, I could see the other side of the street, and that evil red hand still blinking. Blindly I ran on, praying that I still had time left.

As quickly as the madness had began, it was over. I dropped to my knees onto Boston Pizza's lawn and did my best to regain my composure. What kind of hate crime had befallen me just now as I crossed the street? Was it because I look Jewish? Did my curly hair upset the traffic-light gods, which made them rain down an attempt at vehicular manslaughter? I knelt on the cold grass and I wondered what happened to the world I thought I had known.