ONroute

ONroute is a Canadian service company which has a 50-year contract to operate highway rest areas along Highway 400 and Highway 401 in the province of Ontario.[1] The company was founded as a joint venture between international hospitality company HMSHost (a subsidiary of Autogrill) and Kilmer van Nostrand (an investment company owned by Canadian businessman Larry Tanenbaum).[2] ONroute was acquired by Arjun Infrastructure Partners and Fengate Asset Management in May 2019.[3][4]

ONroute

Type	Limited partnership
Industry	Property management
Founded	2010
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario , Canada
Number of locations	23
Services	Rest areas
Owner	Arjun Infrastructure Partners; Fengate Asset Management
Website	onroute.ca

The "ONroute" brand name is a modified version of the phrase "en route", using the province's postal abbreviation of "ON".

History

Construction of Ontario Highways 400 and 401 began in the early 1950s, with the last section of 401 completed in 1968. Both roads were intended as bypasses, going around populated areas instead of through them (the highways 11/27 and 2 which they replaced were Main Street in nearly every served community) and therefore initially had few services. A series of rest stops was constructed as part of the highway in the 1960s in rural areas to provide a full-service restaurant (later replaced with franchised fast food) and a service station (eventually curtailed to fuel only, no repair services). All but a few of these dated from the same era with strong similarity in design.

From the late 1980s to 2010, rest areas on the two highways were individually franchised to different fast food operators (mainly McDonald's) and gasoline distributors (mainly Esso and Petro Canada); however around the financial crisis of 2007–2008, many of the companies announced that they would not renew their leases once they expired.

The government of Ontario selected HKSC as the new franchisee for all of its rest areas in 2010.[2] Since 2010-11, HKSC has demolished the 1960s-era rest stops, leaving most rest stops out of operation for a year or more, and used the sites to construct new ONroute service stations. Most of the remaining redevelopment projects were completed in 2013.[2] Partners in the redevelopment projects included EllisDon Construction, Quadrangle, and Bruce Mau Design.[5] All of the redeveloped locations were designed to meet the LEED certification standards of the Canadian Green Building Council, as well as current standards of accessibility for travellers with disabilities.[5]

The rest areas on Highway 401 at Ingersoll and Newcastle (both serving only the westbound carriageway), as well as the southbound rest area on Highway 400 at Maple (in Vaughan) were redeveloped in the late 1990s, and the original structures remain in service as they were already more modernized than the older locations. Unlike all other rest areas, Esso remains as the gasoline distributor at these locations.

On June 13, 2019, HMS Host announced the sale of all 23 ONroute centres to Arjun Infrastructure and Fengate Asset Management.[6] Arjun is a British company which is the minority shareholder in the similar Welcome Break chain of motorway service areas in the United Kingdom, while Fengate is a Canadian asset management firm.

In 2020, seating areas were temporarily closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.[7] They were reopened during Stage 3 of the Ontario government's reopening plan.

Services

Canadian Tire gas station at ONroute Cambridge South

ONroute Cambridge North with limited seating and mandatory masks for patrons during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada

Each ONroute location features a Canadian Tire gas station, a Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce ATM, and a 24-hour convenience store called M Market. While each location offers a different selection of fast food providers, all locations feature a Tim Hortons together with some combination of A&W, Big Smoke Burger, Brioche Dorée, Burger King, Cinnabon, East Side Mario's Pronto, Extreme Pita, KFC, Taco Bell, Mr. Sub, New York Fries, Pizza Pizza, PurBlendz, Starbucks, Swiss Chalet, Wendy's or Yogen Früz outlets.[8] In some cases, selection at the food outlets is more limited or prices higher than in non-highway locations of the same-brand chains. Many of the smaller brands no longer operate on the ONroute network. As of July 2020, the brands that remain include;

• Tim Hortons
• Burger King
• A&W
• Extreme Pita
• Wendy's
• New York Fries
• Starbucks
• M Market
• Gas+
• Esso
• Circle K
• Subway (Coming Soon)

All ONroute locations have free Wi-Fi.[9] In addition, the westernmost (Tilbury) and easternmost (Bainsville) locations along Highway 401 also feature Ontario Tourist Information Centres, as they serve as gateway locations for tourists entering the province from Michigan or Quebec.[5]

Locations

ONroute locations are sited along Highway 401's entire length, while there are only four rest areas located on Highway 400 along the freeway's southern section between Toronto and Barrie (southbound at Innisfil and Vaughan and northbound at King City and Barrie).

Plazas Located on Highway 401 East/West

Plaza	Address	Brands
Tilbury South	Accessed Via HWY 401 Eastbound Between Exit # 56 and # 63 Tilbury, ON	Tim Hortons Burger King M Market Gas+ Ontario Travel Information Centre
Tilbury North	Accessed Via HWY 401 Westbound Between Exit #56 and # 63 Tilbury, ON	Tim Hortons Burger King M Market Gas+
Dutton	Accessed Via HWY 401 Eastbound Between Exit West Lorne # 137 and Dutton # 149 Dutton, ON	Tim Hortons A&W M Market Gas+
West Lorne	Accessed Via HWY 401 Westbound Between Lorne and Dutton 5 km from Exit 149 West Lorne, ON	Tim Hortons A&W M Market Gas+
Woodstock	Accessed Via HWY 401 Eastbound Between Exit 222 And # 230 Woodstock, ON	Tim Hortons Burger King New York Fries Subway Starbucks M Market Gas+
Ingersoll	Accessed Via Hwy 401 Westbound Between Exit 230 And 222 Ingersoll, Ontario	Tim Hortons Wendy's Subway M Market Esso Circle K
Cambridge South	Accessed Via HWY 401 Eastbound Between Hwy 6 And Hwy 24 Cambridge South, ON	Tim Hortons A&W New York Fries Subway Starbucks M Market Gas+
Cambridge North	Accessed Via HWY 401 Westbound Between Hwy 6 And Hwy 24 Cambridge North, ON	Tim Hortons Burger King Subway Starbucks M Market Gas+
Port Hope	Accessed Via HWY 401 Eastbound Between Exit # 448 And # 459 Port Hope, ON	Tim Hortons Burger King Extreme Pita Starbucks M Market Gas+
Newcastle	Accessed Via HWY 401 Eastbound Between Exit # 440 And # 448 Newcastle, ON	Tim Hortons Wendy's M Market Esso Circle K
Trenton North	Accessed Via HWY 401 Westbound Between Exit # 522 And #509 Brighton, ON	Tim Hortons A&W M Market Gas+
Trenton South	Accessed Via HWY 401 Eastbound 7 Km West Of Trenton, Trenton, ON	Tim Hortons A&W Subway M Market Gas+
Napanee	Accessed Via HWY 401 Westbound 2 Km West Of Exit 593 Napanee, ON	Tim Hortons Burger King M Market Gas+
Odessa	Accessed Via HWY 401 Eastbound Between Exit # 599 And # 611 Odessa, ON	Tim Hortons Burger King M Market Gas+
Mallorytown North	Accessed Via HWY 401 Westbound Between Exit # 675 And # 687 Mallorytown North, ON	Tim Hortons A&W Subway M Market Gas+
Mallorytown South	Accessed Via HWY 401 Eastbound Between Exit # 675 And # 687 Mallorytown South, ON	Tim Hortons A&W New York Fries M Market Gas+
Morrisburg	Accessed Via HWY 401 Eastbound Between Exit # 750 And # 758 Morrisburg, ON	Tim Hortons Burger King M Market Gas+
Ingleside	Accessed Via HWY 401 Westbound Between Upper Canada & Dickinson Road Ingleside, ON	Tim Hortons Burger King M Market Gas+
Bainsville	Accessed Via HWY 401 Westbound, Exit Curry Hill #825 And Riviere Boudette 25 Km East Of Cornwall Bainsville, ON	Tim Hortons Burger King M Market Gas+ Ontario Travel Information Centre

Plazas Located on Highway 400 North/South

Plaza	Address	Brands
Maple	Accessed Via Hwy 400 Southbound Between King Rd And Major Mackenzie Maple, Ontario	Tim Hortons Wendy's M Market Esso Circle K
King City	Accessed Via HWY 400 Northbound Between King Road And Major Mackenzie King City, ON	Tim Hortons Burger King New York Fries Subway Starbucks M Market Gas+
Barrie	Accessed Via HWY 400 North 201 Fairview Road, Barrie, ON L4N 9B1	Tim Hortons A&W M Market Gas+
Innisfil	Accessed Via HWY 400 South, Innisfil, ON	Tim Hortons Burger King New York Fries Subway Starbucks M Market Gas+

References

1. Douglas Hunter. Double Double: How Tim Hortons Became a Canadian Way of Life, One Cup at a Time. Harper Collins, 2012. ISBN 978-1-443-40675-8.
2. "HMSHost Corporation and Kilmer Van Nostrand Co. Limited Ink 50-Year Agreement to Build 23 World-Class Service Centres on Major Canadian Highways". CNW Group. April 7, 2010. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
3. "Arjun Infrastructure Partners and Fengate acquire ONroute Services Centres". Bloomberg. June 13, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2020. Financial close for the transaction was achieved May 26, 2019 with consent from the Province of Ontario.
4. "Autogrill Group sells Canadian Motorway Business". Press Releases. Autogrill. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
5. "ONroute in Ontario". Toronto Sun, January 31, 2012.
6. Andrew Willis, "Raptors co-owner Larry Tanenbaum scores big in ONroute sale". The Globe and Mail, July 1, 2019.
7. "ONroute COVID-19". onroute.ca. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
8. "Ontario Finalizes Plans For Highway Service Centres". Brock News. Brockville: DCE Productions. April 7, 2010. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
9. ONroute. ONroute Amenities. Retrieved on January 4, 2018.

External links

• ONroute