Happy Belly Food Group Sets Single Day Record with Four Restaurant Openings Including iQ Food Co., Heal Wellness & Rosie's Burgers at Shops at Don Mills as well as Heal Wellness in the City of Bolton
- Record expansion with four simultaneous restaurant openings in one day
- Strategic partnership with major landlord Cadillac Fairview enabling prime location access
- Significant growth from 1 to 61 corporate and franchised locations
- Strong pipeline with 591 retail franchise locations contractually committed
- Innovative real estate strategy utilizing shared space combinations for optimal location utilization
- None.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 20, 2025) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands across Canada, is pleased to announce a milestone for the company this Saturday, June 21st, as the company for the first time in its history will open four (4) new restaurants on the same day. Building upon our partnership with Cadillac Fairview ("CF"), the Shops at Don Mills in Toronto will see the grand opening of iQ Food Co., Heal Wellness and Rosie's Burgers, while the city of Bolton will see the grand opening of our 25th Heal Wellness location. All four openings are to take place this Saturday, June 21st, 2025.
"The last few years of heads down work and putting the band back together has allowed us to start having record days like this. Only through bringing together a best-in-class team of passionate leaders to join our growing Happy Belly team could we have had the ability to scale at this pace," said Sean Black, Chief Executive Officer of Happy Belly. "It is great to see how it has all coming together. Today we celebrate the milestone of opening 4 locations in one day, giving us a total open store count of 61 in our corporate and franchised system. Not too long ago when I joined Happy Belly, we had one corporate restaurant total for the entire company.
"Our partnership with Cadillac Fairview and other large landlords is another key factor in our ability to quickly expand in markets with across Canada. CF Shops at Don Mills is a premier GTA dining destination, and we're excited to extend our reach to serve new diners and those who already love our brands."
"We are thrilled to partner with Happy Belly Food Group to amplify the fast casual dining options we have at the centre," said Ilene Klein, General Manager, CF Shops at Don Mills. "Dining continues to be a focal point of our retail mix, and I know the local community will respond positively to these new additions."
iQ Food Co.
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"We are excited to bring iQ Food Co., a flagship brand in Canada's premium healthy eating market, to the customer of Shops at Don Mills. This will be the brand's 6th operating location in Ontario's GTA. iQ serves a variety of delicious and wholesome food options such as healthy bowls, smoothies, sandwiches, soups, and salads, along with other flavorful clean-eating dishes that the whole family can enjoy. iQ caters to thousands of health-conscious customers fostering strong brand recognition and a loyal customer base driven by word-of-mouth and most importantly, satisfied customers. We believe we will be very well received by the customers of our newest locations demographics.
HEAL Wellness
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"Heal Wellness is a QSR founded with a passion and mission to provide quick, fresh wellness foods that support a busy and active lifestyle. We currently offer a diverse range of smoothie bowls and smoothies. We take pride in meticulously selecting every superfood ingredient on our menu to fuel the body, including acai smoothie bowls, smoothies, and super-seed grain bowls. Our smoothie bowls are crafted with real fruit and enriched with superfoods like acai, pitaya, goji berries, chia seeds, and more. The two locations simultaneously opening at the Shops at Don Mills and in the city of Bolton will be our 24th and 25th store location open and operational for the Heal Wellness brand."
iQ Food Co. and Heal Wellness will open this Saturday at the Shops at Don Mills in a shared 1,500 square foot store, making this particular combination the first of its kind. Happy Belly's real-estate playbook is routed in shared space combinations, allowing us to strategically acquire premium locations of almost any size and brand combination, a key differentiator in today's market.
Rosie's Burgers
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"Cadillac Fairview's Shops at Don Mills will see Rosie's open their 8th location, with more in construction and opening shortly. Rosie's Burgers is a nod to the enduring tradition of genuine hospitality serving quality smashed burgers, sides and milkshakes. Inspired by the simplicity of the classic diner, the menu is uncomplicated and effortlessly delicious. Rosie's is your neighbourhood burger shop serving up nostalgic flavours you know, love, and crave. From our Smashburgers and French fries to strawberry shakes and onion rings—we're all about keeping things simple and perfecting tradition."
iQ Food Co., Heal Wellness and Rosie's Burgers will join an established roster of restaurant and food operators at the centre including Eataly, Joey, The Good Son, Taylor's Landing, Scaddabush, Anejo, MADO, Starbucks, Chipotle and many more.
"With 591 retail franchise locations contractually committed—covering sites in planning, construction, and operation—we are steadily expanding our pipeline into 2025 and 2026 by partnering with the right operators and securing prime locations. Our asset-light franchise model remains central to our growth strategy, enabling us to drive disciplined organic expansion while maximizing asset value. This approach positions Happy Belly for a strong and sustainable future, delivering long-term value for our shareholders."
We are just getting started.
About Heal Wellness
Heal Wellness was founded with a passion and mission to provide quick, fresh wellness foods that support a busy and active lifestyle. We currently offer a diverse range of smoothie bowls and smoothies. We take pride in meticulously selecting every superfood ingredient on our menu to fuel the body, including acai smoothie bowls, smoothies, and super-seed grain bowls. Our smoothie bowls are crafted with real fruit and enriched with superfoods like acai, pitaya, goji berries, chia seeds, and more.
About Rosie's Burgers
Deliciously handcrafted smashed burgers, golden fries, and classic milkshakes. Rosie's is your neighbourhood burger shop serving up nostalgic flavours you know, love, and crave. From our Smashburgers and French fries to strawberry shakes and onion rings—we're all about keeping things simple and perfecting tradition. Because the classics were made classic for a reason, right?
About iQ Food Co.
iQ is a flagship brand in Canada's premium healthy eating market and is strategically located in urban and central business districts. iQ serves a variety of delicious and wholesome food options such as healthy bowls, smoothies, sandwiches, soups, and salads, along with other flavorful clean-eating dishes that the whole family can enjoy. iQ caters to thousands of health-conscious customers from local businesses, while expanding into catering services to service an even greater audience in downtown densely populated areas. This strategy has fostered strong brand recognition and a loyal customer base driven by word-of-mouth and, most importantly, satisfied customers.
About Cadillac Fairview
Cadillac Fairview (CF) is one of the largest owners, operators, investors and developers of best-in-class office, retail, multi-family residential, industrial and mixed-use properties in North America. CF Shops at Don Mills is home to 85 stores, restaurants and services and is Ontario's first open-air lifestyle centre. For more information and to stay up to date on other retail openings, news, and events at CF Shops at Don Mills, visit cfshopsatdonmills.ca.
Wholly owned by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, with assets under management of more than
Franchising
For franchising inquiries please see www.happybellyfg.com/franchise-with-us/ or contact us at hello@happybellyfg.com.
About Happy Belly Food Group
Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company") is a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands across Canada.
Happy Belly Food Group
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Sean Black
Chief Executive Officer
Shawn Moniz
Chief Operating Officer
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:
www: www.happybellyfg.com or email hello@happybellyfg.com
If you wish to contact us please call: 1-877-589-8805
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-Looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur and include the future performance of Happy Belly and her subsidiaries. Forward-Looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Happy Belly described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedarplus.ca.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/256233
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