PG Clucks is pivoting from fried chicken to pita sandwiches

Ten years after opening a 200-square-foot kitchen on College Street, PG Clucks is doing away with the deep-fryer. The fried-chicken sandwich spot, often credited with introducing Nashville hot chicken to Toronto, recently announced that it’s closing up shop and reinventing itself as a fast-casual pita spot focused on sourdough flatbreads and Middle Eastern–inspired fillings.

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It may have come as a shock to PG Clucks stans, but owners Pawel and Stephanie Grezlikowski say it was a culmination of a long struggle with the economics of running an independent restaurant. When the restaurant first opened, its sandwiches cost seven dollars (ah, the good old days) and customers could add a side and a drink for a total of about $10. “Now, that same deal is $18—and we’re still not really making that much money,” says Pawel.

PG Clucks wasn’t actually meant to be a fried chicken joint. The couple originally imagined a sandwich shop where diners could choose fried, grilled or brick chicken. But, after running up against the realities of a micro kitchen, the concept was stripped back to fried chicken only—just as the Nashville hot stuff was trending in cities like LA and New York.

From day one, the Grezlikowskis wanted to offer chef-driven food without the sticker shock. So the team brined, double-dredged and fried fresh chicken daily; fermented peppers for house-made sauces; and made sides from scratch. In the early days, they even deboned chicken legs by hand.

Although their commitment didn’t change, the economics did. As ingredient and operating costs climbed, serving meticulously made fried chicken at fast food prices became increasingly difficult to pull off. They were fighting against not only inflation but also a market saturated with large chains with heavily promoted meal deals.

“When we first opened, we were the first fried chicken place in Toronto,” says Pawel. “Now it seems like there’s a new one opening every week. On top of that, it’s hard to compete with fast food chains that have meal deals subsidized by their corporation.”

In the end, the price point just didn’t sit right with the couple. “If I have to sell a fried chicken sandwich for $16 or $17, that’s just not the kind of place I want to run,” Pawel says. Last week, they made the difficult decision to close their shop on College Street.

After opening the original location, Pawel and Stephanie opened a spot on Queen West, where they were able to expand their menu thanks to a bigger space. It became a creative outlet for Stephanie, a professionally trained pastry chef whose weekly doughnuts had their own devoted following. They also operated a location in the Annex Food Hall before it closed during the pandemic.

The couple says they weren’t prepared for the emotional response to the closure announcement. “We were kind of ready to move on,” says Pawel. “We didn’t expect the outpouring of support that we’ve received over the last few days. It’s been crazy.”

Customers have shared stories of first dates, weddings and milestone celebrations tied to the sandwich counter. “You don’t realize what kind of impact you might have when you’re in the midst of running a business,” says Pawel. “To us, it’s just a fried chicken place.”

Now, rather than stepping away from the kitchen, they’ve decided to trade fried chicken for a concept that reflects the way they’re eating these days.

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The new project, which is slated to open in late August or early September in the College Street space, will focus on sourdough pitas, fermented for 72 hours and baked to order throughout the day. Customers can watch the breads emerge fresh from a rotating oven before being filled with house-made falafel, vegetables, braised meats and fermented condiments.

It won’t be an attempt at a traditional Lebanese or Syrian restaurant. Pawel, who is Polish, and Stephanie, who is French Canadian and Italian, are instead borrowing from the Middle Eastern flavours they love most: bright herbs, fresh ingredients and punchy sauces.

Even with this new direction, the underlying principle is the same. “We still want to keep it affordable,” Pawel says, “making everything in-house and making really tasty food but doing it in a quick-service concept.”

Those who haven’t had a chance to bid their fried chicken a heartfelt goodbye can still grab a sandwich at the Queen outpost until July 25. Or perhaps it’s more of a see-you-later: the Grezlikowskis say there’s a possibility of bringing back PG Clucks’ greatest hits in pop-up form.