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Six months before that, he and Dianne, who had been working part-time at a Home Depot Doug managed, while she finished up her architecture degree, had come to the island on vacation. White's parents are Antiguan. Doug fell in love again - this time with the island, and convinced Dianne to sell their home and car, and put their possessions in storage. "He was the driving force behind moving here," Dianne says. "Doug said, 'I like it, we're going back,' and I came along for the ride." A month later, they were living in Antigua. By August though, Doug was feeling dissatisfied with his new job. His suggestions weren't being welcomed, and with two other jobs on offer, he decided to resign. He'd planned to wait until some of the French investors from Guadeloupe were on island, but instead, the executives from Hayot offered to fire the owner and give Doug the top job, with incentives, including shares in the business. His next project was to undertake a major overhaul. Doug says the former managing director was targeting the wrong clients. "She went after a market that I think exists here, but it's very small," he told escapeartist. "She was going after ex-pats, tourists. yachties. The first thing we did when we took it over, was to turn it into a local place, where everything is locally driven." The changes included buying more produce on-island, whereas the previous manager had imported a lot from France. The menu changed drastically, with pate and brie replaced by tuna, crab, turkey, roast beef and local saltfish. "Now that's stuff you put in a sandwich," Doug says. The shift to local labour and locally-purchased material made a difference of over $120,000 in construction costs for their newest store. Material for the first two stores had been shipped in from Europe. The customers didn't seem to mind the difference. Dianne designed the interior of their latest outlet, which is to be used as a prototype for their planned franchised expansion into other Caribbean islands, including St Lucia, St Kitts & Nevis, and Dominica in the next year. Competition within Antigua has come from the opening of a Subway franchise within the past six months. Many speculated that the new store would give Franciane's a run for its money, but the competition never materialised. "They're very expensive," Doug explains. "They have something for $20 that we have for $10. I was never really worried, because I've been in competitive business before, and you generally lose a little bit of business when they first open, but you gain that back." Added to that, he says the customers lost to competitors are quickly replaced by others who are now glad to see a shorter line, and can run in and grab a bite. "I think they have a good product," Douglas says of the new franchise. "I used to eat Subway in Toronto. But pricing has a lot to do with it. When you look at what people make here per hour, $25 is a lot to spend every day for your lunch." Antigua also has its traditional types of breads, which are heavier, and often laden with tinned butter, pork sausage and cheese. "That was one of my first experiences when I first came here," Doug says. "Dianne took me to Brownie's (bakery)." "Yes," Dianne recalls. "I got you a sandwich with sausage and cheese." "It was different," Doug adds, "but it was nice, very heavy. But don't get me wrong, you can't eat our sandwiches every day either." Quite a few customers might beg to differ. Franciane's staff know the regulars who eat either the same sandwich every day, or mix and match the fillings, but nevertheless, come in at around the same time every day. There was formerly a Swiss bakery in a popular tourist section of the island, along with another French bakery in the capital. "I think the majority of Antiguans are already aware of what French bread is," Dianne says. "They seem to like it, and what we try to do is to provide them with the right fillings that they want. Like saltfish and red herring. We will also be carrying the local cheese, because not everyone likes cheddar and Swiss. They seem to be very attached to the tinned cheese. So we're still trying to add to the menu." Slowing down from the pace of life in Canada has been a welcome change for the couple. "One thing I notice that's really different here is the air," Doug says. Dianne recalls facing many days of smog up north, something she says she can live without. "I think both of us don't miss the hustle and bustle of North American life," she adds. Doug recalls a short trip to Canada after two years. "What really floored me was how people were moving around," he says. "Here, you'll be in traffic and people will blink their lights, let you pull out, the people are very courteous, compared to a big city. You walk down the street, people say good morning. good afternoon. In Toronto, everything is so cold, no one says a word to you." Doug and Dianne didn't even realise how much their pace had changed, until a recent trip through Miami, when they were sauntering to catch a flight, while being bumped and glared at by North Americans trying to get to the plane. "After things like that," Dianne says, "you just begin to remember why you left. Everybody (there) is moving as though every single moment of the day counts. When you're here for two years, you don't realise how much you've actually slowed down." The couple have no regrets about migrating to the Caribbean, and Doug says he's satisfied with the clothes and other items he can buy on island. Dianne might have a few more complaints, as, like most women, she tends to crave a little more variety in terms of shopping. Nonetheless, she's content to hop on a flight to Puerto Rico whenever the need arises. Many locals do the same. "If I want a bigger selection," Doug adds, "I know I can go back to Toronto and get it, or I can have someone send it to me." They've adjusted to the supermarket schedules in terms of the availability of fresh produce, which disappears quickly on weekends. Doug recalls
the shocked reaction by some international students at a medical school,
who frequent one of Franciane's outlets, when they were told there was
no lettuce for their sandwiches. "They were like, 'What do you mean you
don't have lettuce?'" he recounts. "And I asked them, well, how did you
get here? And they go, 'By plane.' And I said, ok, do you see any roads
leading from here to Miami?"
"Procurement on the island is not as easy as it looks," he says. "And there are actually a few difficult times of year, like when the tourists come back in November, when it's hard to get everything, because the hotels open back up, and so we end up struggling a bit." They've learned how to develop connections with the local wholesalers, who will warn them of expected shortages ahead of time. The couple used to import a 20 ft container of authentic French bread and pastries once every three months, but the business' popularity has now changed that to a container every 28 days. Many people have expressed scepticism that a fairly young company has branched out so quickly, but Doug says Franciane's is showing no signs of slowing down, and in fact, they're planning at least two other stores, including one within the airport. Dianne says, "Our growth should also be an incentive to other people, to see what they can do with their businesses." "I look at one of our main competitors," Doug adds, "and he has some really good locations. But I think people are now looking for neater, brighter, cleaner." "Even during interviews," Dianne adds, "when we ask people why they want to work here, most will say, 'because it's clean.'" The couple insists on full food safety measures, including gloves and hair coverings for their staff. They keep the workers happy with regular outings, including group picnics on the beach, nights out for dinner, and an annual Christmas party. "It's a challenge
to know where they all are, and what they're thinking, and how they're
treating the customers," Doug says. "Then there's the insurance, and the
health certificates and making sure people are legal to work here. In Canada,
you didn't have that type of problem with hiring, because people came in
the store, and you just knew they were Canadian."
The question remains: How does a couple trying to have fun on a tropical paradise find time for fun when they're running five thriving businesses? "We don't," they easily admit. "Our friends, and my mother will argue sometimes that we both look like we're ready to kick the bucket," Dianne says. Because of this, the couple is now looking to expand the management team, to give them a little more free time. "We do feel the need for at least two weeks off sometimes," Dianne says. "Just to rejuvenate ourselves. Because it's just the two of us." Doug handles most of the accounts, while Dianne concentrates on human resources. Some responsibilities are shared. And while they live and work together, they try to separate home business from store business. "We might have our disagreements," Dianne adds, "but when it comes to the business, once we step through the doors, it's business, and we've always treated it that way." Doug adds, "We really don't talk about the stores once we leave," which earns him a sideways glance from Dianne. "We may have a small issue," he clarifies, "and they we'll talk about it, and that's it." Opportunities to travel for pleasure don't come easily, but ironically, when the couple found time for such a getaway, they wound up in London during the terrorist attacks. "We tried not to think about the business, and the staff we'd left back here to run it," Dianne says, "and for the most part, we didn't." They have yet to discover the other Caribbean islands as a couple, though Doug had visited some of them previously. "I always said I was going to live in the Caribbean by my early 40s," he says. "And I said, you know what, if you never do it, you'll never do it. A good friend of mine in Toronto said, 'you're gonna come back.' But I might go to another island, I don't know what I'll do, but I like it here. I really do." To contact Susan Click Here If you
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