/
1x
Advertisement
Proudly Canadian, obsessively Toronto. Subscribe to Toronto Life!
Culture

Top Chef Canada champ Dale MacKay shutters his Vancouver restaurants

By Andrew D’Cruz
Copy link
Dale MacKay with Rob Rossi after winning Top Chef Canada (Image: Top Chef Canada)
Dale MacKay with Rob Rossi after being being bestowed the title of Top Chef Canada (Image: Top Chef Canada)

The notoriously competitive Vancouver restaurant scene has swallowed up Ensemble and Ensemble Tap, the two restaurants launched by Top Chef Canada champ Dale MacKay just before and just after he took the title for season one. According to an interview in the Vancouver Sun, MacKay made some rookie mistakes, like launching a second location without building up sufficient startup capital, and locating them right downtown, surrounded by chains like Earls, Joey and Cactus Club, which dominate the area with their clockwork service and comparatively lower costs (speaking of costs, MacKay was apparently paying $40,000 a month in rent between the two restaurants).

Early reviews praised Ensemble for its reasonable prices, which also couldn’t have helped the bottom line much. MacKay’s failure serves as a cautionary tale for first-time restaurateurs, like season two winner Carl Heinrich, who’s making a similar gamble in downtown Toronto with The Richmond Station, which should be opening soon at Yonge and Richmond. MacKay will likely be headed back to his native Saskatoon for the time being to figure things out. Read the entire story [Vancouver Sun] »

NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY

Sign up for This City, our free newsletter about everything that matters right now in Toronto politics, sports, business, culture, society and more.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
You may unsubscribe at any time.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Advertisement
Advertisement

The Latest

"He's the only adult in the room": How Toronto–St. Paul's voters feel about Mark Carney's red wave
City News

“He’s the only adult in the room”: How Toronto–St. Paul’s voters feel about Mark Carney’s red wave

Inside the Latest Issue

The May issue of Toronto Life features the artists, professors, scientists and other luminaries moving north to avoid the carnage of Trump. Plus, our obsessive coverage of everything that matters now in the city.