Adam and Kim Jones - We both started working in the restaurant industry at a young age and grew up holding various positions within that industry.  We always dreamed about one day owning our own business and, based on our past experience, a restaurant seemed like a logical choice. We opened our Langley North location in June of 2015. Kim manages the day-to-day activities of the restaurant, and for the time being, Adam continues to work in his full-time career. We have two kids who keep us busy when we're not working.

Our family fell in love with the food at The Chopped Leaf before we ever considered becoming franchisees. Before having our kids we had looked at several other franchise opportunities, but none seemed to "fit." There were many aspects of The Chopped Leaf brand that appealed to us, both on a personal and a business level.

Our head office team helped negotiate the terms of our lease, which ended up being a lengthy project that we were thrilled to not be a part of it. They also worked tirelessly on our design and managed our project from Ontario. They advised and supported us throughout the entire buildout project. The operations team came to the store to train my staff and stayed for two weeks after we opened, until we were ready to fly on our own.

There are so many factors that have contributed to us building our business, but I would say the top one is the brand itself. The Chopped Leaf is a fresh, great-tasting concept that appeals to so many people. We strive to run a very customer-centered store and our combined experience (20+ years) in the restaurant industry has helped us remain focused on providing an excellent customer experience. As owners we also feel that a great location, amazing staff and hard work are essential elements.

We have such a sense of pride when we walk in the store every day. It's amazing to see the business we dreamed about become a reality. Seeing customers enjoying the food we serve and hearing the words, "We love this place," is the most rewarding part and constantly affirms our belief in The Chopped Leaf brand.

We are currently looking forward to opening our second location in September 2016, with possibly more to come. There is so much potential for The Chopped Leaf brand in the marketplace today. People are becoming more conscious of what they eat and we believe this will continue in the future. We don't believe healthy eating is a trend, but a lifestyle choice that is becoming part of our culture.

Owning a franchise is not a "get rich quick" plan. Choose a franchise that best fits with your lifestyle and that you feel passionate about because it's hard work. If you believe in it, it'll make coming to work a pleasure. Surround yourself with an awesome team who also care about the brand and take pride in their work.

It's great to have an entire team of professionals in your corner and we certainly feel that we have that with The Chopped Leaf team at our head office. We get great store-level support from the marketing and IT departments. Our operations team is always on standby to answer questions and address concerns when needed. Management is constantly working to negotiate prices from our various vendors, which often results in cost savings.