A major shake-up has hit Toastie Lords’ Christchurch store, with the franchisees exiting the business only two weeks after opening the company’s first franchise location.
The store opened on October 24 at 181 High Street, marking the start of Toastie Lords’ expansion beyond its company-owned outlet in Picton.
The Christchurch branch was operated by Mason and Nadia Hardie, who have since left the business.
The young couple earned widespread praise on social media for their enthusiasm in the lead-up to the opening, sharing videos of themselves preparing the store and overseeing the fit-out.
However, Toastie Lords’ head office confirmed it had taken back control of the Christchurch site following the pair’s sudden departure.
In a joint statement released to ChrisLynchMedia.com. Toastie Lords HQ and Mason and Nadia Hardie said the decision to step away was mutual and made for personal reasons.
“We would like to respond to the rumours and allegations circulating on social media by confirming that the decision to step away from Toastie Lords was a decision the two of us made together due to personal matters that we won’t be sharing at this time,” the couple said.
“We both agree that we perhaps came into this not knowing how hard it would be on us and the pressures we would face personally. We gave this our best shot and we would like to thank everyone that believed in us and supported us.”
Toastie Lords HQ said it was saddened by the situation but understood the couple’s decision.
“Although we’re not in the business of buying back franchises, we weren’t prepared to let the Toastie Lords Christchurch journey end so soon, therefore purchased the franchise from Mason and Nadia,” the company said.
“The 6th of November was Toastie Lords Christchurch’s first day operating under our management, and we are pleased that three employees have re-signed contracts to stay. We have reached out to two other employees about re-employment but are yet to receive responses.”
A family member of one of the workers told chrislynchmedia.com that staff were let go before the end of their trial period, leaving them shocked by the sudden change, but said they held no animosity towards Mason or Nadia.
The company said two employees had been released during their 90-day trial period due to performance-based issues, and said it was disappointed by “online discourse” surrounding the transition.
“We have been deeply disappointed in the online discourse surrounding this and don’t condone bullying of any form. All three of us at Toastie Lords HQ look forward to seeing what lays ahead for Mason and Nadia, and while this isn’t the ending we all wanted, we respect them and their decisions.”
Toastie Lords said it remained committed to the Christchurch market and thanked the community for its ongoing support.
