The pitch
What walked into the Den
Bannock Express is an Indigenous-owned Saskatoon business that grew from catering into a restaurant and a bannock mix product line.
Rachel Smith pitched in season 18, asking $80,000 for an 18 percent stake, a request that valued the business at about $444,000.
After the show
What happened next
Smith left with a deal she was thrilled about. MBC Radio reports she accepted Arlene Dickinson's offer of $80,000 for 20 percent, conditional on completing a five-month food expedition course, choosing it over a competing $80,000 for 50 percent bid from Vincenzo Guzzo.
The business has grown since. The same report describes Smith running a restaurant on 22nd Street in Saskatoon, though the brand's own domain showed only placeholder content at our check, so we do not lean on the site itself as evidence.
Our read
The Hub verdict
This is a fully sourced deal with a nice detail: Smith took Arlene Dickinson's $80,000 for 20 percent over a competing bid that wanted 50 percent for the same money, and the offer was tied to completing a five-month course. The equity math is worth noticing, both offers priced the cash identically but valued the business very differently. Current status leans on local reporting of a running restaurant rather than the company's own site, which was still a template at our check.
Sourced Dickinson deal; own website still a placeholder
Worth knowing: The deal is well documented in local reporting. The company's own website was still a template at our last look, so we rely on the news coverage, not the site, for current status.
