How restaurants along Gerrard Street East managed to thrive this past winter

By GAUTAM VISWANATHAN

Consistent quality, customer satisfaction, and commitment to income diversification are the reasons behind restaurants on Gerrard Street East seeing out the last winter unscathed.

At a time when restaurants across Canada struggle to match the customer numbers and revenue earned during the warmer months, their counterparts on Gerrard Street East have been able to bring in, on a monthly basis, about 70 per cent of what they would during the same period in spring or summer.

While 7,000 restaurants in Canada were forced to shutter their premises in 2025, and a further 4,000 are predicted to cease operations in 2026, on Gerrard Street East, restaurateurs  appear to be bucking that trend, having either successfully expanded to locations outside the area, or are actively looking at expansion plans this year and beyond.

A classic example of such a success story is Indian restaurant Moti Mahal, which this year marks 50 years of operations. They’ve built up a customer base so loyal that clients from the same family have been eating food from the restaurant for more than 40 years.

“We have an advantage of having a mixed clientele,” said Mit Patel, majority partner at Moti Mahal. “People from neighbouring communities – whether Canadian-born or from other countries – really like our food. During the winter, because of people from the local communities who eat from here, we survive better than other businesses might.

“Business has never been dull, nor have we had to lay off employees,” he added. “Because of the loyal customers, someone always comes in to eat from our broad customer base which helps us to survive the winter. During the Christmas break, we also have catering orders. We see a lot of delivery orders from customers, about 30 or 40 per cent more than what we receive during the summers.”

Patel’s rise to the top at Moti Mahal is one that typifies the immigrant success story for many. He came to Canada in 2016 as an international student, working part-time at Moti Mahal as a dishwasher, before being moved to the front desk and promoted to manager. In 2021, Moti Mahal’s founders were looking to hand over operations to someone younger, and they offered Patel a 75 per cent stake in the restaurant.

“It’s the quality and consistency, because the feedback I receive is that our customers have been coming here for almost 30 years, and get the same taste now as they did back then. The chefs who work here have also been making food the same way for that long.”

A few doors down, Adam Sayani, owner of Pakistani restaurant Lahore Tikka House, recalled the story of how his father came up with the idea for the restaurant in 1997.

“My father was a serial entrepreneur and he had two or three restaurants that had failed before starting up Lahore Tikka House,” he said.

“But he knew it would work. He just needed the right kind of place and luck. He began with a few broken tables, chairs, five dollars in his pocket, and a dream.Family and friends helped scrape together a few dollars, and he had good relationships with suppliers to make sure that they weren’t asking for their money too quickly.”

The restaurant’s commitment to quality – recreating an authentic food experience found on the streets of Lahore, the air redolent with the sizzle of piping-hot kebabs and fresh-baked naan – has seen them build a solid customer base that keeps coming back.

“I would say that delivery and takeout obviously sees a higher share of the percentage of revenue in the wintertime,” said Sayani. “We also get a lot of customers on weekends, when people make a trip from outside the GTA. A lot of the local community loves coming here, so we’re very blessed with the dine-in traffic. We get a lot of catering requests around Christmas, so that also helps.”

For serial restaurateur Hubert D’Mello, Toronto represented the next logical step for Indian vegetarian restaurant Udupi Palace, after he enjoyed roaring success on both the east and west coasts of the United States. September 2026 would mark 25 years since Udupi Palace opened on Gerrard Street East.

“During the winters, we try to focus more on caterings, tiffins, corporate businesses and bulk food,” he revealed. “People celebrate birthdays and festivals all year, after all. Delivery services also play a very important role when there are so many discounts that make it worthwhile, because people are now watching what they’re spending.

“The worst part of the winter period is December to February, but once the March break starts people tend to eat more vegetarian food due to Lent, and that helps us make it up. About 70 per cent of our clientele is Caucasian…a lot of them are turning vegan or vegetarian.”

Located right next door is Mexican restaurant Puerto Bravo – a relative newcomer on Gerrard Street East – founded by Luis Bautista, who came to Canada in 2012, and his partner, Fernanda Argudo. While some weeks are busy during the winters, others are less so – and the couple are actually grateful for a little bit of down time.

“Sometimes it’s also kind of nice to have a slow season, because when it’s busy here, it’s crazy busy,” admits Bautista. “We have time for nothing, we just have to go with the flow. It might sound like a silly answer, but again because people like what we do, we always get someone walking through the door.”

That being said, during the winter, some weeks at Puerto Bravo were busier than others. The week before Valentines Day, for example, was one of their busiest so far this year. The restaurant also catered around 12 parties during the holiday season.

“I get many comments, saying that this place is the busiest in the neighbourhood, which is something I am very happy with,” added Bautista. “With time, it’s been easier for us, because now, more people know about us, and we know we can do more.”

Many of the eateries on Gerrard Street East have either expanded outside of the neighbourhood in the past, with their other locations thriving, or are planning on opening more locations in future. Udupi Palace, for example, opened its second location in London, Ontario five years ago.

“The options that stand out are Mississauga, or North York,” said Sayani of Lahore Tikka House. “Ajax in the east is another one, so we’re thinking about a couple of things.”

“We opened one location last year in Mississauga and we are planning to expand to more locations in the future as well,” added Patel of Moti Mahal. “This year was a little difficult, and I’m still learning on the job. I am never someone who wants to do everything overnight. I always think that it is important to slowly take one step at a time right, not rush things, and spoil everything that you have, especially during these current economic times. That being said, let’s cover this plan one step at a time. But yes, there is a plan of opening multiple locations across the GTA and beyond.”