Freshslice Pizza
 | |
| Company type | restaurant franchise |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast food |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada |
Key people | Ray Russell (founder and CEO) |
| Products | Pizza, pasta |
| Website | www |
Freshslice Pizza is a Canadian pizza chain and franchise. Founded by Ray Russell in 1999, Freshslice Pizza has grown from a family-run business to a chain of over 70 (and counting) restaurants across British Columbia. They are known for their multigrain crust and their pizza by the slice.[1]
Awards and recognition
In 2014 and 2015, Freshslice was awarded a Golden Plate award for Best Pizza By The Slice by the Georgia Straight; a Vancouver-based weekly publication.[2][3]
In 2016, Ray Russell and Freshslice were awarded runner-up for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award through BCBusiness and Ernst & Young (EY) for his involvement at Freshslice.[4]
Controversy
In 2011, Two Freshslice Pizza companies and the owner of two franchise outlets have been fined $44,000 for employing illegal workers. Companies owned by Freshslice Pizza founder Ray Russell, his wife Isabella Flores and corporate employee Bahman Afshari were all charged by the Canada Border Services Agency after a tip led to the discovery that over a dozen undocumented refugees were employed at Freshslice locations in Vancouver. Afshari was also personally charged.[5]
In 2014 Russell was found guilty by the B.C Supreme Court of wrongful dismissal of a corporate employee. The courts ordered a judgement of over $40,000 to the former employee.[6]
References
- ^ About Us
- ^ "2014 Golden Plate Awards". Georgia Straight. Retrieved 2014-12-31.
- ^ "2015 Golden Plate Awards". Georgia Straight. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "2016 Ernst & Young Awards". BCBusiness. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
- ^ "Freshslice Pizza fined $44,000 for illegal workers". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
- ^ "FreshSlice Pizza owner had affair with employee before she was fired, judge rules", Metro Vancouver, retrieved 2014-10-14
