Although many of the largest restaurant chains in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
are
US-based (
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
and
Yum! Brands
Yum! Brands, Inc. (sometimes called simply Yum!) is an American multinational fast food corporation. It is a spin-off of PepsiCo, after they acquired KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. PepsiCo divested the brands in 1997, and these consolidated as ...
among others), some Canadian-based (owned and operated from Canada) restaurant chains are growing and have expanded into other markets, especially into the US.
Major chains
241 Pizza
241 Pizza was founded in Toronto in 1986. Since then, 241 Pizza has expanded across Ontario, and has locations in Newfoundland and Labrador and Saskatchewan.
A&W (Canada)
A&W Restaurants
A&W Restaurants, Inc. (also known as Allen & Wright Restaurants) is an American fast food restaurant chain distinguished by its Hamburger, "Burger Family" combos, draft root beer and root beer floats. A&W's origins date back to 1919 when Roy ...
entered the Canadian market in 1956. In 1972, the American company sold the Canadian unit to Unilever thus creating
A&W (Canada)
A&W is a fast-food restaurant chain store, chain in Canada, franchising, franchised by A&W Food Services of Canada Inc.
The company was initially a subsidiary of the U.S.-based A&W Restaurants chain, with the subsidiary opening its first franchi ...
. In 1995, it was spun off into an independent entity with no ties to its American counterpart. They have over 800 locations nationwide.
Barburrito
A chain of restaurants featuring Mexican food, established in Toronto in 2005, with locations in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Bâton Rouge Steakhouse & Bar (restaurant)
Founded in Laval, Québec Bâton Rouge is a steakhouse and bar owned by
MTY Food Group Inc., with most of their locations found in Québec and the Greater Toronto Area.
BeaverTails/Queues de Castor
BeaverTails
BeaverTails is a Canadian restaurant chain, specializing in pastries known as BeaverTails, that is operated by BeaverTails Canada Inc. Its namesake products are fried dough pastries, individually hand-stretched to resemble beaver's tails, wit ...
pastry (or Queues de Castor pâtisserie in Quebec) is a chain of pastry stands operated by BeaverTails Canada Inc. The chain's namesake product is a line of fried dough pastries, individually hand-stretched to resemble a beaver's tail. The chain began in Ottawa and now has franchises and licensees in six countries: Canada (Atlantic Canada, Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia and Quebec), the United States, Japan, France, U.A.E., and Mexico.
Ben & Florentine
Ben & Florentine is a Canadian breakfast and lunch restaurant chain, serving around 2.5 million customers per year. The founders used characteristics from their own families to create the concept of the chain. Each Ben & Florentine restaurant is owned individually as a franchise. Ben & Florentine was founded in 2008 in Saint-Laurent, Quebec and the first restaurant opened in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec. By 2011, it had 16 locations in the province of Quebec. The chain has been a CFA member since 2010. The restaurant chain began by serving an extensive breakfast and lunch menu, and later extended hours to include dinner selections. In 2012 the chain expanded into Ontario, and by 2014 there were 31 locations. In 2015, the chain had 43 franchise units.
Big Smoke Burger
Big Smoke Burger is a chain of burger restaurants founded by Mustafa Yusuf in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
in 2007 with 17 locations across North America and the Middle East.
Booster Juice
Booster Juice is a smoothie/juice bar founded in Sherwood Park, Alberta, just east of Edmonton. Booster Juice Headquarters is located in Edmonton, Alberta. Initially found in Western Canada, over time, Booster Juice has expanded internationally with over 500 locations worldwide as of 2022. Most of the Booster Juice locations are primarily found in shopping malls.
Boston Pizza
Boston Pizza (branded as ''Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar'' outside of Canada) has franchised 396 restaurants in North America. Boston Pizza International Inc. was Canada's number one casual dining brand with more than 340 restaurants in Canada and system-wide sales of $831 million in 2008. Annually, Boston Pizza serves more than 40 million guests. The first Boston Pizza location was opened in Edmonton, Alberta in 1964 by Gus Agioritis under the name "Boston Pizza and Spaghetti House". It took 32 years to open its first 100 locations, and eight years for the next 100.
The current owners of the restaurant chain,
Jim Treliving and George Melville, purchased the company in 1983, 15 years after Treliving bought his first franchise, and 10 years after he first partnered with Melville. Store sales growth has averaged 6.3% for the last decade compared to the industry average of 2.2%.
Cactus Club Cafe
Cactus Club Cafe is a chain of premium casual restaurants founded by Richard Jaffray and Scott Morison in
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
in 1988. Currently 31 restaurants are operated across Canada.
As of 2022 "After 34 years, Richard Jaffray is stepping aside as an owner and executive of Cactus Club Cafe, the national restaurant chain he co-founded. The Fuller family, who have been silent partners since the company began, will become full owners." Source: https://www.bcbusiness.ca/people/hospitality/cactus-club-cafe-founder-richard-jaffray-gives-up-ownership-stake/
The Fuller family also owns Earls, Joey's, Cactus Club, Saltlik Steakhouse.
C-Lovers Fish & Chips

C-Lovers Fish & Chips are fish and chips franchises in Western Canada. It offers all-you-can-eat fish and chips, and serves ocean-wise seafood and locally sourced ingredients. Every December, C-Lovers restaurants donate $1 from each Prawn Madness dish to the
BC Children's Hospital Foundation. In 2012, the restaurant served about 150,000 prawns, and since 2003 donated $86,000 to the Foundation.
Chairman's Brands
Chairman's Brands is a privately held corporation dedicated to the franchising, development, and marketing of quick-service restaurants. Until 2006, its main operation was
Coffee Time with operations in Canada, Greece, Poland, China, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The chain's first store was opened in 1982 by
Tom Michalopoulos in
Bolton, Ontario
Bolton ( 2021 population 26,795) is an unincorporated town and is the most populous community in the town of Caledon, Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is located beside the Humber River, approximately 50 kilometres nor ...
. In October 2006, the company doubled in size, when it purchased the Afton Food Group, a company whose assets included
Robin's Donuts
Robin's Donuts (commonly shortened to Robin's) is a Canadian chain of over 160 fast food restaurants that operate in every province of Canada except Quebec. A 2017 Maclean's Magazine Poll ranked Robin's as the 7th best coffee chain out of 15 in ...
, 241 Pizza and Mrs. Powell's Cinnamon Buns. The company also operates Eggsmart, and The Friendly Greek. In all, Chairman's Brands operates more than 500 stores across Canada under its seven brands.
As of November 15, 2016, they operated eight brands with over 440 locations in five countries. The brands were 241 Pizza, Coffee Time, Eggsmart, Mia Fresco, New Orleans Pizza, Robin's, and The Friendly Greek.
Chez Ashton
Chez Ashton is a regional
fast food restaurant
A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast food, fast-food cuisine and has minimal Foodservice#Table service, table service. The food served ...
in
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
that is famous for its
poutine
Poutine () is a dish of french fries and cheese curds topped with a hot brown gravy. It emerged in Quebec in the late 1950s in the Centre-du-Québec region, though its exact origins are uncertain, and there are several competing claims regar ...
. Chez Ashton was started as a travelling snack cart by Ashton Leblond in 1969. In 1972, poutine was first offered. Leblond hooked his customers by giving
free samples of his poutine. The enterprise grew in popularity until Leblond was able to open a restaurant with a dining room open year-round in 1976. The franchise has grown to include 25 restaurants in the
Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
region.
Chuck's Roadhouse
Chuck's Roadhouse was created in 2015 by Obsidian Group Inc., a Canadian hospitality company founded in 1996. As of early 2025, the chain had over 70 locations, mainly in southern Ontario with a few in northern Ontario and two others in Manitoba.
Coffee Time

Coffee Time is a chain of coffee & donut shops headquartered in the Greater Toronto Area.
Cora Breakfast & Lunch
Cora, based in Montreal, has 128 restaurants and was started by Cora Tsouflidou in 1987. It can be found in every Canadian province (but PEI). In 2008, the restaurant changed its name from ''Cora's breakfast and lunch'' (in French, ) to ''Cora''. Serving such breakfast items as eggs, crepes and French toast, it is known for its all day breakfast and heaping mounds of fruit.
Crabby Joe's Bar • Grill
Crabby Joe's
Crabby Joe's Bar ● Grill is a Canadian restaurant chain operating in 15 locations in Ontario in 2022. The restaurants are characterized by a "casual relaxed" theme, with natural brick, hardwoods, earth tone colour schemes, plasma TVs, classic ar ...
is a restaurant and bar chain founded in 1996 with 15 Ontario locations and headquarters in Mississauga. "Obsidian Group Inc." has made the decision to swap some of their Crabby Joe's restaurants to "Chuck's Roadhouse". In 2025, the chain had 15 locations across southern Ontario.
Country Style
Country Style is a chain of coffee stores operating primarily in the province of
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
. They have 420 estimated locations in Canada. Country Style was purchased by
MTY Food Group Inc. With their headquarters located in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Cows Ice Cream
Cows
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...
is a chain of ice cream parlours and cheesemongers with nine locations in Canada and one in the United States. It started in 1983 in Prince Edward Island as an ice cream parlour. Today it is known for its 32 varieties of ice cream, cheddar cheese, and cow-themed merchandise. Sales of Cows ice cream spiked in the summer of 2010, after American television hosts
Regis and Kelly showed interest in the chain.
La Diperie
La Diperie is an
ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...
chain created in 2014 in Montreal by Sam Arif. In 2016,
MTY Food Group
MTY Food Group Inc. is a Canadian franchisor and operator of numerous casual dining, fast casual, and quick service restaurants operating under more than 70 brand names, some of them through wholly owned subsidiaries. Headquartered in the Montr ...
acquired 60% of the ice cream chain.
Dixie Lee Fried Chicken
Dixie Lee Fried Chicken is a fried chicken restaurant that has 39 locations in 3 different Canadian provinces.
Druxy's
Druxy's is a chain of Canadian fast-food sandwich shops.
Dunn's
Earls
East Side Mario's
East Side Mario's
East Side Mario's is a Canadian chain of casual dining restaurants, managed by its parent holding company Recipe Unlimited. The restaurant specializes in Italian-American cuisine. Individual locations aim to recreate the historic ambience found ...
is an Italian restaurant chain, with headquarters located in
Mississauga
Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...
, Ontario. Most of the 85 locations are located in Eastern Canada.
Edo Japan
Based in Calgary, Alberta, Edo Japan is a quick-service restaurant that primarily sells Japanese food.
Eggspectation
Eggspectation is a restaurant chain originally focused on breakfast and brunch that started in Montreal in 1993. In Canada they have locations in Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia, and there are additional locations in the United States, Egypt, Pakistan, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates.
Eggsquis
Eggsquis is a midscale chain of restaurants in Quebec and Ontario. As of 2018, there are 39 outlets, which are primarily in Quebec. It specializes in
egg
An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...
dishes, from bacon and eggs to omelettes. The first Eggsquis restaurant was opened by Elias Stergiou in
Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...
, in 1995. In 2010, the owners of the restaurant chain Chez Cora took Eggsquis to court, claiming that some of the dishes at its Mascouche location had been copied from Cora's, including the names of the dishes.
Elephant and Castle Pub and Restaurant
Freshii
Freshii is a quick service restaurant that has about 100 locations all over Canada and 15+ other countries.
Gabriel Pizza
The Great Canadian Bagel
Grinner's Food Systems Limited
Grinners Food Systems Limited, the franchiser of Greco Pizza (since 1981) and Captain Sub, is a Truro, Nova Scotia-based company. It is owned by Trucorp Investments Incorporated. Trucorp, headquartered in
Dieppe, New Brunswick
Dieppe () is a city in the Canadian maritime province of New Brunswick. Statistics Canada counted the population at 28,114 in 2021, making it the fourth-largest city in the province. On 1 January 2023, Dieppe annexed parts of two neighbouring Lo ...
, also owns Bonte Foods Limited,
Frank and Gino's Restaurants, and Chris Brothers food products.
Established in Moncton, New Brunswick in 1977,
Greco Pizza is one of Atlantic Canada's largest pizza chains. Menu items include pizza, donair, salads, garlic fingers, and the restaurant's proprietary dipping sauces. Many of the over 170 locations in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland operate
co-branded with Captain Submarine. Both are quick-service restaurants.
Captain Submarine was acquired by Grinner's in 2002, when it only had nine locations (21 fewer than it had in the 1980s). Many of the stores franchised since then also sell Greco Pizza items. The purchase brought the number of Grinners franchised restaurants from 111 to 120.
Harvey's
Harvey's is a quick service restaurant where customers are invited to choose their own toppings.
Hero Certified Burgers
Hero Certified Burgers is a
quick service restaurant
A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast food, fast-food cuisine and has minimal Foodservice#Table service, table service. The food served ...
franchise chain that operates in Canada, with locations concentrated in
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a Region, primary region of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada, with approximately 13.5 million people, approximately 36% o ...
. The chain was founded in 2004 by John Lettieri, who opened the first store in
Hazelton Lanes in
Yorkville, Toronto
Yorkville is a neighbourhood and former village in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is roughly bounded by Bloor Street to the south, Davenport Road to the north, Yonge Street to the east and Avenue Road, Toronto, Avenue Road to the west, and ...
, Ontario.
Lettieri also owns the restaurant chain Lettieri café, based in Toronto.
The company was the first Canadian franchise to focus on the provision of fast foods using food products from vendors that adhere to
sustainable
Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...
practices.
Humpty's
Humpty's Big Plate Diner is a family-style diner restaurant chain founded in Calgary in 1977. Originally an all-day-breakfast restaurant named ''Humpty's Egg Place'', the restaurant began franchising outside the city in 1982 and changed its name and menu in 1988. The chain currently has 19 locations in Western Canada, 9 of which are in Alberta.
Imvescor Restaurants Inc
Imvescor was the parent company of the restaurant chains
Scores,
Pizza Delight
Pizza Delight is a Canadian pizza restaurant franchise. It was founded in 1968 in Shediac, New Brunswick by Léandre Bourque and Allard Robichaud and then purchased by Bernard Imbeault and two of his friends a year later. The chain's head office ...
,
Mikes,
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
with a history that goes back to 1968. It was known as Pizza Delight Corporation until 2007, when the name was changed to Imvescor.
As Pizza Delight Corporation, the company purchased Mikes in 2000 for $14.5 million, Quebec company Scores Rotisserie Barbecue and Ribs in 2005 for $32 million and Baton Rouge Restaurants.
Headquartered in Moncton, the company was in charge of 259 restaurants across Canada (101 Pizza Delight, 91 Mikes, 39 Scores, and 28 Baton Rouge).
Imvescor used to be a privately owned corporation that held the licence for the trademark and intellectual property of the four restaurants by PDM Royalties Income Fund. In 2009, the income fund and Imvescor combined their businesses into a new corporation called Imvescor Restaurant Group Inc.
The four restaurant chains employed over 10,000 people.
Total system sales in 2009 were $324.8 million. Imvescor is now owned by
MTY Food Group
MTY Food Group Inc. is a Canadian franchisor and operator of numerous casual dining, fast casual, and quick service restaurants operating under more than 70 brand names, some of them through wholly owned subsidiaries. Headquartered in the Montr ...
, after being acquired in December 2017.
Jack Astor's Bar and Grill
Jimmy the Greek
JOEY
Joey's Seafood Restaurants
The Keg
Kelseys Original Roadhouse
Formerly "Kelsey's Neighbourhood Bar & Grill" is a sit-in Roadhouse known best for their chuck burgers. Kelseys subsidiary is
Montana's BBQ & Bar.
King of Donair
Kinton Ramen
Kinton Ramen specializes in Japanese ramen (noodle soup). Their first location was on Baldwin Street in Toronto, which opened in 2012. They eventually leveraged a franchise model to multiply their locations to 38 by April 2024, with locations in central Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Illinois and New York state.
La Belle Province
Lafleur Restaurants
Lone Star Texas Grill
Following Val Belcher's retirement from professional football, Belcher began a successful career as a restaurant entrepreneur. In 1986, Belcher founded the Lone Star Cafe restaurant with former Ottawa Rough Rider teammate
Larry Brune in the Ottawa suburb of
Nepean. Over the years, it expanded into a franchise business. It was renamed Lone Star Texas Grill, operating under the Lone Star Group of Companies. As of 2020, Lone Star Texas Grill operates over 20 locations across southern and eastern Ontario, including seven in the Greater Ottawa Area where it originated, as a family-style restaurant specializing in wood-fire grill fajitas, authentic Tex-Mex fare and frozen margaritas.
Mary Brown's
Mary Brown's
Mary Brown's Chicken is a Canadian fast food restaurant with approximately 300 locations across Canada. The chain specializes in fried chicken.
History
In 1969, Pat Tarrant and Cyril Fleming purchased rights to open up the first Canadian Golde ...
operated mainly in Newfoundland (about 20 locations with 2 locations in Halifax and 1 in Ontario) until the late 1970s, when it began expanding in Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia. In 2010, there were 38 locations in Newfoundland and Labrador, 30 locations in Ontario, 12 in Alberta and 3 in Nova Scotia, for an approximate total of 83. As of 2017, Mary Brown's has expanded into the United States, specifically in Florida. Drive-through and delivery services are available at some locations.
The restaurant chain, started by Newfoundlanders Pat Tarrant and Cyril Fleming in 1969, was named after Mary Brown, the wife of a fried chicken recipe creator. The headquarters are in Markham, Ontario.
Mandarin Restaurant
Mikes
Milestones Grill and Bar
Montana's Cookhouse
Moxies
Mr. Mike's
Mr. Mike's SteakhouseCasual is a chain of restaurants in Western Canada. It began as a steakhouse where the most popular item on the menu was the Mikeburger, which consisted of grilled steak served on a fresh French loaf with garlic butter and the secret Mike Sauce. It has since evolved to a casual dining arrangement with a "West Coast feel". Mr. Mike's now features a broad menu and full liquor licence, and targets a different demographic. Their first restaurant in Eastern Canada opened in Welland Ontario on November 21, 2017.
MTY Food Group
MTY Food Group
MTY Food Group Inc. is a Canadian franchisor and operator of numerous casual dining, fast casual, and quick service restaurants operating under more than 70 brand names, some of them through wholly owned subsidiaries. Headquartered in the Montr ...
is the parent company of 28 different franchising brands including
Yogen Fruz Canada (operates locations as master franchisee), Mucho Burrito, Mr. Sub, Tiki Ming, Mrs. Vanelli's, Taco Time, Country Style,
Thai Express, and
Tandori. Founded by Stanley Ma, originally from Hong Kong, in 1979 when he opened his first restaurant ''Le Paradis du Pacifique'' in Montreal; the company incorporated in 1984 and joined the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2010. Most of the company's growth has come through acquisitions, but MTY has also launched at least 10 of the franchises.
The 25-year-old company oversees 2251
(up from 1741 in 2010)
quick service restaurants (excluding Mr. Sub locations, about 35 of MTY's locations are corporately run.) Its latest acquisitions are Jugo Juice and
Groupe Valentine. System-wide sales increased 17.5% in 2010 while the number of locations rose by 57, or 10%.
New York Fries
New York Fries is a mall-based quick service restaurant chain known for their poutine and hotdogs.
Nickels Grill & Bar
Normandin
Dine-in and take-out restaurant chain founded in Neufchâtel, Quebec, in 1969.
As of 2020, the chain had more than 40 restaurants in Quebec.
Nuburger
Originally founded as Unburger, name changed due to confusion over being a non-vegetarian outfit. Operates 4 locations in
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
.
The Old Spaghetti Factory
OPA! of Greece
OPA! is a fast food chain that started with a single food court location in Calgary's
Market Mall
Market Mall (formally branded as "CF Market Mall") is one of the largest malls by retail floor space in the Calgary, Alberta, Canada area at . It is located in Varsity, a suburban neighbourhood in the city's northwest quadrant on Shaganappi Tra ...
, where they served Greek dishes. Since 2001, OPA! has grown from a single restaurant to a chain with over 100 locations across Canada, including three university locations; the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta, and MacEwan's SAMU Campus as well as the new YYC Airport US Departures terminal in Calgary.
Osmow's Shawarma
Osmow's Shawarma is a franchised quick-serve
shawarma
Shawarma (; ) is a Middle Eastern dish that originated in the Levant during the Ottoman Empire, consisting of meat that is cut into thin slices, stacked in an inverted cone, and roasted on a slow-turning vertical spit. Traditionally made with l ...
restaurant. It was founded in 2001 by Sam Osmow. The chain has grown to over 140 locations throughout North America with most locations being located in Ontario.
Panago
Panago (originally Panagopoulos) is a privately owned quick service pizza chain with 174 franchised locations in Canada, 151 of which are in British Columbia and Alberta. It is headquartered in
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford is a city in British Columbia next to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver, and the Fraser River. With a census population of 153,569 people (2021), it is the most populous municipality in the province outside metropol ...
, where in 1986 the first three stores opened.
In recent years it has attempted to make its food healthier as provincial healthier eating guidelines became more strict. Offerings include multigrain crusts, salads, 33 pizza toppings, and other menu items that have no trans fat, MSG, artificial flavours or artificial colours.
Philthy Phillies
Philthy Phillies is a Canadian restaurant chain, renowned for its signature Philly cheesesteaks, poutines, sandwiches, burgers, and comfort food offerings. Founded in 2012 in Toronto, Ontario, the restaurant has established itself as a key player in the local casual dining scene, offering a unique blend of Canadian and American flavors in a vibrant and laid-back atmosphere. The eatery is particularly known for its high-quality ingredients and innovative takes on classic dishes.
The Pickle Barrel
Pizza Delight
Pizza Nova
Pizza Nova is a primarily Ontario-based pizza chain founded in 1963 by Sam Primucci with more than 150 restaurants.
Pizza Pizza
Pizza Pizza
Pizza Pizza Ltd. is a franchised Canadian pizza quick-service restaurant with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. Its restaurants are mainly in the province of Ontario while others are located in Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoun ...
is a primarily Ontario-based pizza chain founded in 1967 by
Michael Overs with more than 700 traditional and non-traditional restaurants coast to coast with over 3,000 employees. Its sister brand is western chain,
Pizza 73. Pizza Pizza fills approximately 29 million orders annually and has won a
Webby for their iPhone App.
Pür & Simple
Pür & Simple is a Canadian chain of restaurants specializing in breakfast and lunch. Founded in 2016, the brand is operated under the Eat It! Brands portfolio.
Recipe Unlimited
Recipe Unlimited
Recipe Unlimited Corporation is a List of Canadian companies, Canadian company that operates several restaurant chains such as Swiss Chalet, Harvey's and The Keg, and food distribution for large operations.
The company was originated in 1883 as ...
(previously known as Cara Operations) operates
Harvey's
Harvey's is a fast food restaurant chain operating in Canada, with locations in every province except British Columbia. It serves hamburgers, poutine, hot dogs, french fries, onion rings, and other traditional Canadian cuisine, Canadian fast-food ...
,
Swiss Chalet
Swiss Chalet is a Canadian chain of casual dining restaurants founded in 1954 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Swiss Chalet has locations in most Canadian provinces, but about 80% are in Ontario and there are currently none in Quebec or British Co ...
,
Montana's Cookhouse,
Kelsey's Neighbourhood Bar & Grill and other brands. The company also provides catering services to airlines. The revenue for its 1200 restaurants and its airline solutions division in 2008 was over $2 billion.
Cara Airline Solutions operated about 10 flight kitchens across Canada that served more than 50 air carriers and rail travel customers, it was sold to
Gategroup in 2010.
Montana's Cookhouse started in 1995, was acquired by Cara in 2002, and operates 90 restaurants across Canada.
There are 200 Swiss Chalet restaurants in Canada and the US.
New York Fries is another Recipe Unlimited brand with about 200 stores in Canada,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
,
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...
,
Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
, and
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
. New York Fries also had a burger company called South St. Burger, that sells burgers along with New York Fries and other products. It was spun off into a separate entity as part of the Cara acquisition.
The largest Canadian-established hamburger chain in the nation,
Harvey's
Harvey's is a fast food restaurant chain operating in Canada, with locations in every province except British Columbia. It serves hamburgers, poutine, hot dogs, french fries, onion rings, and other traditional Canadian cuisine, Canadian fast-food ...
was founded in
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill ( 2021 population: 202,022) is a city in south-central York Region, Ontario, Canada. Part of the Greater Toronto Area, it is the York Region's third most populous municipality and the 27th most populous municipality in Canada. Ric ...
, in 1959, it has franchises from
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
to
St. John's, though most its restaurants are concentrated in
southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a Region, primary region of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada, with approximately 13.5 million people, approximately 36% o ...
and southern
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
.
On March 31, 2016, Cara announced that it would acquire the
St-Hubert
St-Hubert BBQ Ltd. is a chain of Canadian casual dining restaurants best known for its rotisserie chicken. St-Hubert is most popular in Quebec and in other French-Canadian areas such as Eastern Ontario and New Brunswick. The chain enjoys the s ...
chain of rotisserie chicken restaurants in the summer of 2016.
Recipe Unlimited also owns
Prime Restaurants, the parent company of the restaurant chains
East Side Mario's
East Side Mario's is a Canadian chain of casual dining restaurants, managed by its parent holding company Recipe Unlimited. The restaurant specializes in Italian-American cuisine. Individual locations aim to recreate the historic ambience found ...
, Casey's, Pat and Mario's, Fionn MacCool's and Bier Markt Esplanade. Co-founded in Sudbury in 1980 by Bernard C. Dyer and Nicholas Perpick, the
Mississauga
Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...
-based company operates in Canada and the US. Prime Restaurants was acquired by Fairfax Financial, and many of their East Side Mario's locations have either closed or been converted to Prime Pubs. The Pat and Mario's restaurants have been closed.
Royal Paan
Founded in 2001, Royal Paan operates over 40 franchised locations across Canada, serving Mumbai-style street food. It was founded in
Halton, Ontario.
Richtree Market
Ricky's All Day Grill
Shoeless Joe's
Salisbury House
Scores
Smoke's Poutinerie
St. Louis Bar & Grill
St. Louis Bar & Grill is a casual sports bar and restaurant founded in Toronto in 1992 and has expanded to include over 80 locations across Canada, with locations in Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, PEI and Nova Scotia.
Stellas
Founded in 1999,
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
-based Stellas operates 8 locations throughout the city.
St-Hubert
Laval, Quebec
Laval is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is in the southwest of the province, north of Montreal. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third-largest city in the province after Montreal and Quebec City, and the thirteenth largest city in Can ...
-based
St-Hubert
St-Hubert BBQ Ltd. is a chain of Canadian casual dining restaurants best known for its rotisserie chicken. St-Hubert is most popular in Quebec and in other French-Canadian areas such as Eastern Ontario and New Brunswick. The chain enjoys the s ...
operates 97 restaurants in Canada, making it the 16th largest restaurant chain in the country. It used to have many locations outside the province of Quebec, but withdrew to only in Quebec and Ottawa area. Swiss Chalet has taken advantage of that, growing into more locations, but has narrowed its presence in Quebec. Its unique brand of gravy is one of more than 600 products it sells through grocery stores in eastern Canada. It serves more than 31 million meals every year, including 3.2 million kilograms of cabbage, 6.062 million kilograms of French fries, and 8.3 million servings of desserts.
On March 31, 2016, Cara Operations announced that it would acquire the
St-Hubert
St-Hubert BBQ Ltd. is a chain of Canadian casual dining restaurants best known for its rotisserie chicken. St-Hubert is most popular in Quebec and in other French-Canadian areas such as Eastern Ontario and New Brunswick. The chain enjoys the s ...
chain of rotisserie chicken restaurants in the summer of 2016.
Second Cup
Second Cup Coffee Co. is a Canadian specialty coffee retailer operating more than 345 cafes across the country. Its headquarters are in
Mississauga
Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...
, Ontario. Its stores sell hot and cold beverages, pastries, snacks, pre-packaged food items, hot and cold sandwiches, and drinkware, including mugs and tumblers. Second Cup sales continue to compete with
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...
,
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons Inc., known colloquially as Tim's, Timmies, or Timmy's, is a Canadian multinational coffeehouse and restaurant chain with headquarters in Toronto; it serves coffee, Doughnut, donuts, sandwiches, Breakfast sandwich, breakfast egg mu ...
and
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
, which also feature espresso-based specialty drinks.
Since its inception, Second Cup has expanded its franchises to the United States, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Angola, Lithuania, and Romania. It also opened a store in Pakistan in 2013, in the United Kingdom in 2014, in the Philippines in 2015, and in Poland in 2016.
Smitty's Family Restaurants
Smitty's Family Restaurants First opened in 1960, Smitty's operates 82 restaurants in Canada, and was one of the first ever franchise model restaurants in the country. Smitty's Restaurants are family owned and operated, and are well known for their all day breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings. Their taglines of All Your Favourites. All Day Long. and Canada's Family Restaurant are represented in a vast menu of choices for every age.
Stacked Pancake & Breakfast House
Stacked is a Canadian chain of diner style restaurants that focuses on traditional breakfast foods, with an emphasis on breakfast and lunch service. The company has established over 30 franchise locations in South Eastern
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, with further planned expansion in the rest of the province announced.
Sunset Grill
Sunset Grill is a breakfast restaurant based in Toronto, Ontario. They have 50+ locations to date.
Swiss Chalet
Swiss Chalet
Swiss Chalet is a Canadian chain of casual dining restaurants founded in 1954 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Swiss Chalet has locations in most Canadian provinces, but about 80% are in Ontario and there are currently none in Quebec or British Co ...
is a Toronto-based restaurant chain known primarily for their rotisserie chicken. To date Swiss Chalet operates in every province but British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Quebec. Sometimes you can find a Swiss Chalet and
Harvey's
Harvey's is a fast food restaurant chain operating in Canada, with locations in every province except British Columbia. It serves hamburgers, poutine, hot dogs, french fries, onion rings, and other traditional Canadian cuisine, Canadian fast-food ...
combo location.
Symposium Cafe
Tahini's
Tahini's serves authentic Halal Mediterranean & Middle eastern dishes such as Shawarma, Falafels, and Gyros.
The Burger's Priest
The Burger's Priest is a primarily Ontario-based quick service restaurant chain, specializing in freshly-made
smash burgers. The business was founded by Shant Mardirosian with the original Toronto Queen Street East location opening in 2010, and has since expanded to 25 locations in Ontario and 3 in Alberta. The restaurants' decor and the names of menu items often contain references to the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, such as the use of
hymn boards to display the menu.
Thaï Express
Thaï Express is a Thai quick service restaurant chain that began in the province of Québec with 299 locations in Canada and internationally.
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons Inc., known colloquially as Tim's, Timmies, or Timmy's, is a Canadian multinational coffeehouse and restaurant chain with headquarters in Toronto; it serves coffee, Doughnut, donuts, sandwiches, Breakfast sandwich, breakfast egg mu ...
, currently owned by
Restaurant Brands International
Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI) is a Canadian Multinational corporation, multinational fast food holding company. It was formed in 2014 by the $12.5 billion merger between American fast food restaurant chain Burger King and Canadian ...
, opened its first store on May 17, 1964, in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
.
It is the fourth largest publicly traded quick-service restaurant chain in North America based on market capitalization, and the largest in Canada. It has cornered the Canadian market for baked goods (76%) and coffee (62% compared to
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...
, in the number two position, at 7%).
The company has experienced substantial growth in the United States, where it has 613 stores (April 2011, about 220 more than it had in June 2008).
It has a same-store sales growth rate of 3.9% in Canada and 4.9% in the US.
[ The new partnership with Cold Stone Creamery helped push its US presence to over 600 stores. The partnership has since dissolved. Sales exceeded $2 billion in 2008. It was controlled by Wendy's International Inc. for 11 of the 46 years of operation, from August 8, 1995, until the end of 2006. On April 3, 2011, Tim Hortons oversaw 3,782 locations in North America 3,169 of which were in Canada.][
In the fourth quarter of 2010 Tim Hortons' profits were 27% more than they were over the entire 2009 fiscal year (for the quarter net income was up 314%).]
In ''Forbes'' 2011 edition of the world's 2000 largest companies, Tim Hortons placed 1469th overall (up from 1714th in 2010) with annual sales of $2.6 billion (up from $2.014 billion in 2010), profits totalling $628 million (up from $280 million), assets worth $2.5 billion (up from $1.90 billion) and a market value of $7.5 billion (up from $5.41 billion). The data is from the year ending January 2, and market value is from March 11, 2011.
In 2014, the chain was purchased by a foreign company, Brazilian firm 3G Capital
3G Capital is a private equity investment firm. Founded in 2004, 3G Capital evolved from the Brazilian investment office of Jorge Paulo Lemann, Carlos Alberto Sicupira, and Marcel Herrmann Telles. 3G Capital is led by Alex Behring, Co-Founder ...
, known for its ownership of Burger King
Burger King Corporation (BK, stylized in all caps) is an American multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacks ...
. Despite foreign ownership, Tim Hortons remains a Canadian cultural phenomenon.
The Pint Group
Edmonton hospitality group that owns 7 restaurant brands in Western Canada, Toronto, and Halifax. Banners include The Pint (5 locations), Beercade, Smoke BBQ + BAR, Employees Only, Hey Bud, Crash Hotel, and Arena Liquor store.
Tut's Egyptian Street Food
Tut's is a Canadian fast-casual restaurant chain that specializes in Egyptian street food, particularly sandwiches. The business was established in August 2020 with a flagship location in Downtown Toronto and has since expanded to multiple locations across Ontario. Tut's menu features modern adaptations of traditional Egyptian recipes, presented in a quick-service format.
Wild Wing
Wild Wing is a wing sports bar based in King City, Ontario. Wild Wing has 96 locations throughout Canada, with plans to introduce a new concept " Wild Wing Roadhouse" in Chatham, Ontario in 2024.
Wimpy's Diner
Wimpy's Diner is a chain of 50's & 60's family dining restaurants chain with 51 locations across Canada.
White Spot
From British Columbia White Spot is a quick service restaurant that is known for their hamburgers and Triple O's sauce.
The Works
The Works is a full service, licensed, casual dining restaurant chain with outdoor work themes (road signs, street lights, traffic lights, fences, tools, hydro meters, etc.). This Ottawa based chain has 27 locations in Ontario, and the restaurant's main menu feature is burgers. It offers six kinds of patties and over 50 types of toppings including peanut butter, deep fried bacon, Kraft dinner
Kraft Dinner (marketed as KD in Canada; Kraft Mac & Cheese in the United States, Australia and New Zealand; and Mac and Cheese in the United Kingdom and internationally) is a nonperishable packaged macaroni and cheese mix. It is made by Kraf ...
and seven kinds of cheese. It is also known for its Tower-O-Rings appetizer, with 12 large onion ring
Onion rings (also called French-fried onion rings) generally consist of a cross-sectional "ring" of onion dipped in batter and/or bread crumbs and then deep fried; a variant is made with onion paste. While typically served as a side dish, oni ...
s that comes with two dipping sauces.
See also
*Lists of restaurants
This is an index of restaurant-related lists. A restaurant is a business establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money, either paid before the meal, after the meal, or with a running tab. Meals are general ...
* List of fast-food chains in Canada
* List of restaurant chains in the United States
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Restaurant Chains, List Of
*
Chains
A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...