In an era of rising costs, shifting tastes, and social media noise, some of Canada’s most enduring restaurants reveal the principles that continue to guide their success
In the past few years, Canada’s restaurant news cycle has often sounded like a dismal broken record: struggles here, closures there. From unexpected rent hikes to forced early retirements, carving a path to longevity in the food and drink industry seems to grow tougher by the minute.
Yet some culinary stalwarts have stood the test of time and continue to march on, not without challenges, but with a wisened perspective on what it takes to survive and thrive long-term.
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These restaurants aren’t prostrating themselves to the fickle whims of social platforms. You’re more likely to see them in the pages of Wine Spectator (or VineRoutes) than the reels of TikTok; quietly engaging in real time with a loyal customer base, sticking to an important set of fundamentals in their menus and wine programs, and prioritizing long-term growth over quick wins.
As many veteran restaurateurs would attest to, the unsexy side of the restaurant equation is the real key to building a lasting hospitality business. The picture behind the scenes is the one worth a thousand words.
Here are four key takeaways from six long-standing Canadian restaurants that reveal how some of the industry’s most dogged leaders maintain relevance and resiliency through cultural and economic strain:
1. Put your team first, and everything else will follow
Together with his father, founder and director James Treadwell of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Treadwell Cuisine restaurant (a VineRoutes Regional Excellence Award winner) has spent 20 years building one of the region’s most renowned restaurants, known for its reliable, well-executed farm-to-table fare and what he describes as probably the world’s largest collection of local Ontario wines.
Stephen Treadwell pours from behind the bar at Treadwell Cuisine – a recent VineRoutes Restaurant Award winner.
“Naively, I used to think that I could do everything myself,” says Treadwell. “The most important thing I’ve learned is that success is achieved not on an individual level but as a team. A guest once described it like a watch. You might only see two hands working, but open it up and there are so many moving parts. If any of those non-visible parts were to break, the whole watch won’t work. Our passionate, hard-working and hospitality-driven team has helped us remain consistent in such a volatile industry.”
Pearle Hospitality wine director Brie Dema agrees. “The key to great experience is always how the team ties it all together,” she says. “We have to show up for our teams the way we want them to be there for our guests, with respect, honesty, and care.”
Dema presides over the wine programs of a growing portfolio of restaurants—including the Vine Award winning destination Elora Mill, and Award of Distinction winners Isabelle Restaurant & Lounge, and Cambridge Mill—across the 50-year-old family-owned hospitality umbrella. “There is an extraordinary depth of experience behind everything we do,” says Dema. “What makes it special, though, is how collaborative the leadership is. The team comes together regularly to share ideas and experiences across the properties, and that collective knowledge becomes a real advantage. We’re constantly learning from one another.”
The Elora Mill – a Vine Award winning restaurant for Best in Distinction.
Collaboration is at the heart of the equation for the tight-knit team at FK in Toronto, too, where husband-and-wife duo Shawn Cooper (owner/operator) and chef Frank Parhizgar have run their elegant French-leaning and VineRoutes Award of Distinction winning restaurant for 16 years in the heart of one of the most competitive food scenes in the country. “Our staff are valuable assets. They’re ambassadors of everything we offer, seasoned professionals with a wealth of knowledge,” says Cooper. “We enjoy a collaborative approach where a good idea is a good idea, I don’t care if it’s mine or not.”
Stephen Beckta, president of Award of Distinction winner Beckta Dining and Wine, one of Ottawa’s landmark fine dining establishments, describes investment in his team as paramount to their success. “One of the keys to our longevity is our constant desire to care for our staff first and foremost. If they don’t feel cared for, they can never truly care for our guests,” says Beckta. “Create a great culture and profit will follow. Manage for profit first and culture will suffer; the longevity of the business will be sacrificed to the short-term bottom line.”
Part of the equation is knowing how and what to hire for. “We look for like-minded individuals who are naturally caring, and work hard to create an environment that encourages and supports their instinctual desire to give to others because it feels good,” says Beckta.
The bright and cozy interior at FK Restaurant in Toronto.
“The investment runs both ways,” explains Cooper. “I hire people—three have been with us since 2010—who are as passionate as I am about things running right. They understand guest relations and know we need to win each and every guest, every single time. I’ve learned not to undervalue the importance of the right fit over skill set. Our staff are kind, warm, generous, knowledgeable and unpretentious.”
“Being driven by your highest values and choosing your team members really well is the basis for differentiaton,” says Beckta. “By finding people that share your values and giving them permission and encouragement to innovate and be creative, you allow your business and culture to evolve and stay fresh without needing to chase that ‘next-new-thing’ obsession.”
The takeaway: Strong teams foster collaboration, creativity, kindness and consistency, the cultural bedrock from which differentiation, financial success and longevity come.
2. Good storytelling emerges from human connection, not marketing
Many newcomers on the restaurant scene expend great effort trying to craft stories that might captivate a fickle audience. But while some degree of narrative helps keep the experience cohesive, how you go about crafting it can make all the difference.
“The thing that got us through the pandemic and kept us on the right course was how we kept human connection and guest experience as the north star,” says Dema. “Live the culture honestly and the story will flow naturally.”
This order of operations is one that Beckta follows too. “Good storytelling is important for sure, but more for some guests than others,” says Beckta. “Using empathy to determine the dialogue we have with guests is more important than reciting a monologue about our history, products or values.”
Beckta Dining and Wine is a VineRoutes Award of Distinction winning restaurant in downtown Ottawa, Ontario.
Cooper also prefaces understanding the individuality of guests’ preferences over a blanket approach. “Storytelling can be fun and add a bit of ‘romance’ if it’s organic, restrained, and peppered thoughtfully throughout the meal. But some guests are into it and some aren’t, so we read the table,” says Cooper. “A good story is a bonus, it’s not going to be the reason someone decides to come back.”
As the course of an evening at many older establishments often shows, some stories are better felt than told. “The story lies in the dining experience,” says Cooper. “From first point of contact on the phone to the feel of the room, the music playing, the server’s personality at the table, and most of all the food which is in its true essence the chef’s dialogue with the guest. The whole thing is a conversation, the whole thing is a story.”
“Guests want to feel a connection to the restaurant, its team, the ingredients and wines,” says Treadwell. “Since 2006, we’ve made it our focus to showcase the very best artisanal suppliers in Ontario, and we tell that story throughout the experience to those who are curious. In such a competitive industry, it’s the restaurants who are able to build that connection with their guests that end up succeeding.”
The Vine Award winning team at Elora Mill.
In an economic climate where fewer variables are under restaurateurs’ control, learning to let go of the narrative and shepherd the human connection instead can be an added challenge. But one that comes with far-reaching benefits.
“Human connection is everything in a great dining experience,” say Beckta. “Without it, dining is a hollow transaction that merely fills someone’s belly rather than their imagination and soul. We all know how one feels versus the other, and we all crave the latter when looking for our next great dining experience, regardless of the quality of the menu or the wine list.”
The takeaway: Avoid putting the cart before the horse and let your story emerge organically from the bottom up rather than the top down—with real human connection at the centre.
3. Seasonality is the waveform of longevity, and goes well beyond ingredients
Canada’s climate is one of the biggest challenges for ingredient sourcing and filling seats through the winter. But environmental seasonality is just one form of the relentless fluctuations that long-standing restaurants must weather to survive.
“Even more than ever before, restaurants have become seasonal. Recognizing and preparing for the ebbs and flows is key,” says Cooper. “When you’re at peak popularity it’s difficult to imagine it won’t always be like that, but popularity decreases, that’s just the cycle. Being rigid in your thinking is a death sentence. If you control costs and labour, make small adjustments quickly, and keep a reserve, you can survive slow times. The more experience you have, the tighter you can run your business.”
Shawn Cooper (left) and Frank Parhizgar are the dynamic duo behind FK.
Small tweaks like the introduction of approachable and prix fixe menus has been a popular strategy since the pandemic to control uncertain sourcing and coax a more wallet-strapped public back to the table.
“Our new casual, price-friendly patio menu has been very successful, drawing in some newcomers from the neighbourhood,” says Cooper. “We introduced it not as a replacement but in addition to our existing menu, so our regulars can enjoy the patio with the original menu too. Chef now needs to execute 3 menus in total (including the tasting menu), but it’s well worth the extra work.”
“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the current economic climate, so it’s critical we remain consistent in the experience we provide, no matter the menu format,” says Treadwell. “Temporarily moving to an all-inclusive menu during the pandemic allowed us to run a more sustainable business model—and get through to the other side. Now, during the winter months, we offer a two-course prix fixe at lunch for a very reasonable $35 per person, giving many of our guests an excuse to get out of the house during the cold weather.”
Finding the balance between novelty and consistency requires a deep understanding of how to carry essential values and identity through the changes, and how to distinguish signal from noise amongst the trends and the frenzy of social media.
Isabelle Restaurant and Lounge is located along the beautiful lakeshore in Burlington, Ontario.
“Some might say that we are not the most dynamic or avant-garde, but we are definitely one of the most consistent,” says Treadwell. “We try to remain present on social media—it is critical to do so—but the majority of our resources go into ensuring we continue to showcase the best possible product and build a positive and consistent connection with our guests. We remain steadfast in what got us here: hard work, professionalism and passion.”
“We constantly evolve our offerings to meet and exceed our guests’ expectations, while holding onto the core values that guide our intentions,” says Beckta. “We have become more casual in our service style over time, to reflect our guests’ desire for comfort, even in a fine dining setting. Our uniforms, music, decor and service have become simpler and more approachable over the years, but the same depth of hospitality and caring remain.”
“Being authentic is essential, and offering authentic moments is the best ‘anti-trend’. It never goes out of style,” says Dema. “People are tiring of being stuck behind screens and distanced from each other. Our souls crave human connection. Add consistency, quality, and discipline, and you have a secret sauce. Giving people a special place to disengage with distractions and truly be a part of a moment or an experience is increasingly rare, but becoming more and more valued.”
The takeaway: Navigating the ebbs and flows of seasonality—from ingredients to economics—is a constant balancing act, one that requires reflection, attentiveness and restraint.
4. Wine is not waning, but tastes are changing
“Wine and its place have been through a lot lately,” says Dema. “economic turmoil, cultural concerns like current health guidelines, competition from new categories such as cocktails and cannabis, and so on. But wine is one of the world’s oldest beverages, it will always have a seat at the table.”
Ever the margin-padder for restaurants’ bottom lines, wine is requiring more focus and refinement than ever before. Buying local is on the rise, seeking quality over quantity, and good value above all else.
The stunningly beautiful exterior at the Cambridge Mill. (Photo by Anne Edgar).
“With the growth of the Niagara region, there is more curiosity from visitors about locally-grown ingredients and wines,” says Treadwell. “When we first opened two decades ago, it was incredibly challenging to change guest perspectives on Ontario wines. We were (and still are) a young wine region trying to determine its identity. Thankfully, the industry has grown so much over the past twenty years that guests now generally identify Niagara wines with quality. Since we now have, arguably, the world’s largest collection of Ontario wines, we will continue to use our platform to showcase the many exciting things happening in the local wine industry, whether new varietals and styles or the passionate individuals behind the brands.”
“It’s important to choose wines that are exemplary in quality for their given region and price point,” says Dema. “Excellent quality for a great price. It’s risky to veer from this value. Wine markups have gotten a little out of hand, especially as the provincial monopoly has made wine more expensive here than in many other global markets. I don’t want to make it harder for the guest to opt into a bottle due to a sky-high menu price. So we’re finding ways to balance the financial needs of the business without simply raising prices to do so. In addition to leveraging group-scale purchasing, we value the sale over the margin, and look outside the box. For example, finding a great quality Burgundy pinot noir, but perhaps from a lesser-known appellation such as Irancy or Fixin. We aim for depth and scope, so no matter the guest objective, we have a wine for everyone. The long game is very much rooted in staying true to these values.”
Lunch on the patio at Treadwell Cuisine.
“One of the biggest mistakes I made in the past was overvaluing big-name international wines over lesser-known producers and local offerings,” says Cooper. “We’ve also put a special focus on our ‘Great Picks for $100 and Under’ list; not something you would typically find in a restaurant like ours. All special finds from good producers that we’ve taken time to source and taste. We’ve received the Wine Spectator Best Of Award of Excellence every year since 2022, and this helps to inspire trust from our guests.”
The takeaway: Adaptive wine lists are shifting focus from pricey name-brand bottles to lesser-known and local producers offering quality, novelty, and good value for money.
There’s no question the quest for longevity in the restaurant and wine worlds is an increasingly arduous one, and even the country’s long-standing establishments aren’t insulated from the tumult. Even with solid fundamentals, decades of experience, and a loyal customer base, the ones that make it through year after year never rest on their laurels.
Instead they’re performing delicate balancing acts between cultivating the version of themselves that customers have grown to love over the years, and keeping pace with the ever-changing times in a thoughtful, measured way.
In a culinary world bent on chasing the buzz of new openings and flavour-of-the-moment trends, too little credence is given to the people who actually carry the backbone of our beloved restaurant industry, those who toil not for public recognition but for the art and science of exceptional dining experiences. It’s these leaders we should be looking to, to help guide us through tough times with relevance and resilience, and to shape what we really want from the future of Canada’s restaurant industry.
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