Zishan Yusuf said he came to Canada from India with a dream of having his own business here.
After graduating from college in India, he felt Canada would be a good place to start a food-focused business.
“Because Canada is multicultural. So here, if you open any food business, because we don’t target particular community or countries or anything, it’s just open for everyone,” he said.
Now Yusuf is getting that opportunity with the opening of B Boyz The Burger Architects in Newmarket at 16700 Bayview Ave. The eighth location in the GTA-based franchise opened in June. The restaurant promises freshness, not using frozen patties. All of the food served is also halal, prepared in a matter prescribed by Muslim law.
The franchise started in 2020 in Toronto during the pandemic.
"Opening up a restaurant had been always our dream and when we saw the chance we took it," the restaurant franchise said on its website. "Our team has years of culinary experience and we love mouthwatering food, which had inspired us to convert our dream into a reality."
Yusuf said he had worked with the owner at a previous job and decided to join the new business early on.
In those four years, B Boyz has expanded to nine locations.
“The growth is very well,” he said. “For sure, in four years, nine locations, growth is good … Quality of food and service. We don’t compromise on anything. Customer first.”
A desire for growth is what attracted the restaurant and Yusuf to Newmarket, he said.
Newmarket “is a growing city. It’s getting population increasing day and day,” Yusuf said. “We can get an opportunity to get established before the competition.”
Yusuf said he has had a passion for cooking from a young age, inspired by his mother. So, he wanted to take the opportunity to run a franchise — and run his very first business — when it arose.
“The response is good from the community,” Yusuf said about the early days of the restaurant.
The future for the business is strong, Yusuf said, adding that their commitment to freshness has resonated well with customers.
“The future is going to be better than what we have right here,” he said. “Because the community is growing.”
