Humble Beginnings

In 1975 Mike and Violet Hoffmann opened their first Pantry Family Restaurant in Abbotsford, British Columbia. This restaurant was built on a concept to provide friendly and attentive customer service, quality food, in a warm friendly atmosphere at affordable prices. This foundation, combined with their dedication and commitment made the very first Pantry Restaurant an instant success.

The Commitment Behind the Vision

The Pantry’s concept is based on the principle of purchasing the highest quality products available. We then prepare these fresh and wholesome ingredients to create outstanding meals for our guests. The word “Pantry” comes from an old British term used to identify the place where “fresh food” is kept in a home. Every decision that is made in our Corporate Office runs through the same filter; does this recipe or formula meet our Pantry Standards, and is it the best quality food we can produce? For example, in our kitchens we still boil potatoes and mash them – we don’t use instant. We also cook our roast beef and turkey in our ovens.

Our Pantry burgers are made from 100% Canadian Certified Angus Beef™; and all our steaks are centre cut, Canadian Certified Angus Beef™. Our bacon is a lightly smoked uniform centre cut, our vegetables of the day are always fresh, not frozen and the list literally goes on.

Success! The Pantry Expands

As new locations opened and The Pantry Brand grew in popularity and awareness, The Pantry restaurant continued its development. The Pantry repositioned itself in order to realize future growth opportunities as a “Casual Dining Restaurant”. This concept change included ongoing revisions to signage, exterior image, the interior décor, marketing with new trademarks, logos, uniforms, tag lines and menus, all creating a more “Casual Style Restaurant”.

Expansion and growth have always been carefully controlled since The Pantry Restaurants first began franchising in 1977. However, to ensure that consistency throughout the Chain is always maintained, growth has never taken precedence over the service and support given to our Franchisees, food quality or attentive customer service. The first expansion outside of the Lower Mainland began with Vancouver Island and continued with the development of the Okanagan market and into Northern B.C. The Pantry Restaurants are now located throughout B.C., with various locations in Alberta, and further expansions underway in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

In the late nineties, we realized the vast potential that many hotel properties held that would benefit and be complimented by The Pantry Restaurant’s concept. At that time we began a strategic plan to infiltrate this market. We designed a complete catering, banquet and room service program to facilitate the various hotels. A complete Sunday Brunch Buffet was also introduced in most Pantry Restaurants. Our brand is now affiliated with various hotels such as; the Holiday Inn, Ramada Inn & Suites, Super 8 Hotels, Best Western Hotels, Aston Pacific Inn and Travelodge Hotels. We also are situated in free standing sites and located in high profile malls.

Some of the hotel sites are branded with our Alexander’s Lounge concept. This cozy lounge has become part of our hotel partnership and features a high quality lounge for traveling and thirsty hotel guests. Alexander’s Lounge also features a unique menu that is specific to this market share.

RAMMP Hospitality Brands. A new all-star management team.

RAMMP Hospitality Brands acquired The Pantry Restaurant along with the Rockwell's Bar & Grill chain in December 2009.

The company is made up of a partnership of restaurant industry veterans with over 100 years of combined industry experience. The partnership creates a unique combination of operational, marketing, finance, and franchising expertise, guiding the growth of both The Pantry Restaurants and Rockwell's Bar & Grill brands.

RAMMP has a vision of developing both The Pantry and Rockwell’s into premium national brands, and are focused on making each franchisee successful in the markets they operate in.

At RAMMP we believe in
    • Delivering excellent support and service to our franchise community
    • Actively partnering with our franchisees and our supplier community
    • Building brand loyalty by providing excellent value to each of our guests

RAMMP Hospitality Brands wants to insure each and every franchise business has the tools and training to deliver an outstanding dining experience for every customers they serve.

We take a strategic approach to insure the brands are meeting the needs of today’s consumers and that the brands are also evolving to meet the needs of tomorrow’s consumers.

The basic concepts of attentive customer service, quality food and value, in a relaxed casual friendly atmosphere are all well established throughout. These principles are still the foundation The Pantry Restaurants are built on today.

What's on your future menu?

Be a part of The Pantry's future! We'd love to chat with you about the how you can profit by being a part of dynamic team.

Learn more about The Pantry Restaurant Franchising here.

Check out employment opportunities locally.