We trust franchises. Well, I trust franchises. When I go to a certain restaurant, I want to experience an amazing out-of-this world dining experience. When I got to a franchise, I expect uniformity. That’s how people have “favourite” meals at franchise restaurants. You go to a franchise because that’s where you know, they will not deviate from the meals and serve you what you know.

I am no different to any other person. I don’t demand a lot from a franchise restaurant. I am a huge fan of salmon eggs benedict. In fact, I am currently searching for the best eggs benedict South Africa has to offer. I came pretty close when I had brunch with the girls. So on a road trip to the Kwa Zulu Natal Midlands, we stopped at a very well known stop after Harrismith.

The area is called Montrose and has a hotel, a couple of fast food joints and of course, the franchise that I had my eggs benedict. I am really not in the game of naming and shaming, in fact I love embracing great businesses but my experience here has to be talked about. I, as plain as I am, ordered the salmon eggs benedict and because I have eaten this exact same meal repeatedly at different franchises in South Africa.

I have a problem with stale bread. I have an even bigger problem with stale bread that gets served to customers. This is what i got from the restaurant. To the point where I ate only the salmon and the egg and left the stale bread.

For the love of cooking and creating unforgettable experiences, I don’t think I would want my Bistro to be franchised into stores that are not taken care of or lose their core value or the reason they became popular. I would want to keep the authenticity or if I were to open a second one, it would be a different experience. I’m not throwing shade on franchises, it’s just this experience that got me thinking