Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #25, Charles Khabouth

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #25, Charles Khabouth

Our annual ranking of the people whose smarts, connections and clout are changing the city as we know it

(Image: courtesy of INK)

Charles Khabouth

INK Entertainment

25 Toronto’s leading club and restaurant mogul is still the guy to call if you need to get on an impossible guest list—chances are he owns the venue. Khabouth expanded his empire again in 2015, bringing the number of restaurants, clubs, bars and other dens of hedonism Ink owns or operates up to 17. He and partner Hanif Harji opened pizza and pasta spot Città in CityPlace, then spent $5 million to launch ­Yorkville’s opulent Japanese steak house NAO. Bisha, his luxury hotel-condo hybrid, will debut soon. And in the spring, he launched an American outpost of his Middle Eastern restaurant Byblos in the Royal Palm hotel in South Beach.

Up Next:

Khabouth and Harji paired with Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, and are set to debut the first Canadian location of the Japanese fine dining restaurant Morimoto in the Theatre Park building.

More of Toronto's Most Influential People