Redesign Revolution: Canadian Restaurants Reimagine Spaces and Menus to Highlight National Pride

TORONTO — When Grizzly Bar opens next week in Toronto, customers entering the establishment will immediately understand which side the owners support in the ongoing trade dispute between Canada and the United States.

Maple leaf decorations and robotic bears will create the atmosphere. Visitors will have the option to purchase Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, Maritime-style calamari, or miniature Caesar salads served in paper boats, complete with ketchup chip toppings. Payment options include cash, credit cards, or the popular alternative currency known as Canadian Tire Money.

For entertainment, Blue Rodeo, Rush, and Loverboy will dominate the playlist with frequent plays, while a "Hoser Games" event will feature participants competing in various trials such as the "loonie toss," "hockey tape breakout," and a humorous "Canadian-style sorry-not-sorry" apology contest.

"Expect an abundance of exciting elements," remarked co-owner Jessica Langer Kapalka, adding that they intend to have the bar manager wear a nine-foot tall inflatable grizzly bear suit and install tents for a campfire-style ambiance complete with s’mores.

The bold strategy employed by Grizzly Bar is among the methods Canadian eateries are adopting to cope with the tariff disputes that have swept across North America, potentially disrupting food supply lines and increasing costs for diners.

While U.S. President Donald Trump persists in provoking his nation’s nearest ally through tariffs imposed on goods ranging from vehicles to everyday household items, Canadian eateries are now opting for local produce over American alternatives.

A few places have updated their menus, removing the Philly cheesesteaks and substituting Americanos for Canadianos, whereas some others are pausing their growth into the United States market.

Jo-Ann McArthur, who serves as the president of Toronto-based advertising firm Nourish Food Marketing, pointed out that these differing strategies highlight how each business must navigate its own path between showcasing their Canadian identity and catering to local consumer tastes, all while dealing with cost constraints.

"As long as you don’t completely overhaul your decoration and revamp your whole menu,” she stated, “it’s more about backing local suppliers whenever possible.”

Yet some, like James McInnes, are keen to take the issue even further.

His vegan fast-food chain Odd Burger Corp. paused its plan to open 60 franchises in the U.S. just two weeks after announcing the expansion in March.

McInnes made the decision because he feared "escalating political tensions" had made the economics of the plan too much for his London, Ont.-based business to stomach.

"Not only are the tariff percentages changing on a daily basis, but also what is getting tariffed is changing on a regular basis," McInnes explained.

"How do you formulate pricing for franchisees when you don't know what many of the costs will be?"

Instead of getting entangled in the chaos, Odd Burger chose to concentrate on its Canadian activities and carefully consider how best to shield its supply chain from disruptions originating in the United States.

“If a 200 percent tariff is imposed on Coke, we’re uncertain about how this will play out,” he stated. “By doing so, we’re opening ourselves up to significant risks, and eventually, it won’t be financially prudent for us to stock American goods.”

At Kanoo Coffee, it was loyalty to his country rather than cost considerations that led co-owner Steve Neville to create a menu that proudly showcases Canadian themes.

When the Guelph, Ont., cafe launched last year, the aim was to offer patrons the finest coffees from around the globe. Consequently, they rotated various international blends until the trade dispute prompted Neville to elevate Canadian coffee as their main offering.

“He mentioned that they recognized it has always been an obvious decision.”

Kanoo's selections now originate from Subtext Coffee Roasters in Toronto, September Coffee Co. in Ottawa, Phil & Sebastian in Calgary, and Traffic Coffee Co. in Montreal.

In this globally connected world, we seem to have overlooked certain domestic concerns such as backing local enterprises and family units... This trend has been weakening," Neville stated. "And that’s somewhat the bright side of things overall.

The Grizzly Bar is equally delighted as it will have the opportunity to shine a light on Canada.

The business discovered ingredients for popular dishes such as poutine, chicken wings, and bison burgers locally.

"I was expecting it to be a lot more difficult in some ways to source the majority of our food items from Canada, but it hasn't been that difficult at all," Langer Kapalka said,

In the few cases when something can't be sourced from Canada, the business turns to allies. That's why New Zealand elk and Mexican fruit and vegetables make the menu and the animatronic bears come from the Philippines.

When asked about the amount she and Jason Kapalka, their business and life partner, invested in this project, she replied, "I wish I had known!" Although their budget reached up to $15,000, they managed to cut costs by having friends search through “wood-paneled basements” for quirky decorations they could use instead of purchasing them.

Everything was finalized in the past several weeks following their decision to convert Offworld Bar—a restaurant known for rotating themes—into a slice of Canada.

The beach-themed pop-up Grizzly Bar was expected to last approximately two months. In contrast, the Canadian theme should remain for a more extended period.

Kapalka jokingly mentions running it until 2028, coinciding with the next U.S. presidential election, but expresses hope that changing political circumstances might make it redundant much earlier.

I'm hopeful that we might see a change in leadership sometime soon," he stated. "And I would welcome the opportunity to discontinue it should there cease to be a necessity for its existence.

The report from The Canadian Press was initially released on April 6, 2025.

Tara Deschamps from The Canadian Press

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