Franchise development and business brokerage in Montreal
Two questions bring owners to Lorne Cassoff: can my business grow into a franchise network, and how do I buy or sell a business on the right terms. He has answered both from the inside: 21 years as a business broker, then ten years building Ben & Florentine from one Montreal restaurant to 51 locations and a sale to a TSX-listed company.
Lorne Cassoff
Business broker since 1990 · President of Ben & Florentine, 2008–2018
Two ways Lorne works with owners
Franchise development
For owners of one or two locations who want to know whether the concept can be copied, taught and supported at a profit, and what it takes to get there.
Business brokerage
For owners preparing to sell, and for buyers looking for the right business, including franchise resales. Valuation, confidential marketing, due diligence and negotiation.
Experience from both sides of the table
Lorne spent 21 years at Active Business as a business broker and franchise consultant, valuing, preparing and selling owner-operated businesses and guiding buyers through their purchase.
He then built Ben & Florentine from a single Montreal breakfast restaurant in 2008 to 51 locations, with no sales team: he personally managed every franchisee relationship, from the first lead to opening day, before Imvescor Restaurant Group, a TSX-listed company, acquired the brand in 2018.
- 21 years
- as a business broker
- 51
- franchise locations developed
- 0
- outside sales staff
- TSX
- exit to Imvescor in 2018
Who Lorne works with
Most franchise clients own one or two locations. The concept works, customers come back, and people have started asking whether it could be franchised. What is missing is the plan: what to build, in what order, and what it will cost before the first franchisee signs.
Brokerage clients are owners preparing to sell, often after many years, and buyers looking for a business they can run. Most are in restaurants and food, distribution, services and the trades.
Talk it through before you commit
The first consultation is free and carries no obligation. Most clients start with a phone call: describe your business and what you are considering, whether expanding, selling or buying, and Lorne will tell you plainly what it would take.