The Feed Vol. 07 Shelf Life ~ Paper Trail
ISO what’s hot, what’s next? The Feed is your trend tracker. More than hot takes, these are considered trends, studied and captured. It’s more than just revealing what’s #TRending, this trendwatch is also reporting on what’s next.
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🕘 9 min read
Chain Reaction
Chain restaurant products are agressively taking over grocery shelves, Description below. All photos by Stephanie Dickison | Toronto Restaurants.
An infiltration of big chain restaurant prepared foods and pantry items are bombarding grocery store shelves at an exponential rate. Over the last months, I’ve clocked countless products crowding out the usual suspects at supermarkets throughout Toronto and the GTA including Red Lobster, Subway, Swiss Chalet, Taco Bell, and Tim Hortons. Even ice cream joints are getting in on the action. See: Baskin-Robbins.
Nestled right next to them? Local resto chains you’ll also be familiar with: Earls Kitchen + Bar, East Side Mario’s, The Keg, Montana’s BBQ & Bar, and St. Louis Bar & Grill, to name a few. And luckily, amongst the typical everyday selections and creations by colossal corporations, invigorating items from smaller local restos and restaurateurs also await. Mandy’s, an artisan salad operation out of Quebec with numerous Toronto outposts, features bottled salad dressings that have been making the rounds from gourmet grocers to standard supermarkets. Matheson Food Company - the brainchild of TV actor, producer, host, cookbook author, chef and restaurateur Matty Matheson (The Iron Cow Public House, Matty’s Patty’s Burger Club, Prime Seafood Palace, Rizzo’s House of Parm) - boasts approachable products with elevated elements, currently in the form of tantalizing barbecue sauces, zingy and creamy salad dressings, and cheffified boxed mac and cheese, with more items in the works. Long-running dessert destination Demetres began making what is now Demetres Ice Cream at the OG Danforth location over 35 years ago. It became such a success that a separate ice cream division, Scooped by Demetres followed in 2021, adding several outposts downtown and in the GTA along the way. Their rich, creamy formula (read: high butterfat) paired with premium ingredients is now available in take-home pints from the grocery store in a variety of flavours including: Double Baked Apple Pie, Dulce & Banana, Lemon Curd Blueberry, Matcha White Chocolatea, West Coast Salted Caramel, and vegan Ministry of Mango Sorbetto.
As illustrated above, and reflected in the current landscape of brick-and-mortars lining our city streets, products by smaller local restaurants are few and far between, while mega chains dominate. Which begs the question: Should behemoths like Subway and Tims be permitted to take up such valuable real estate in-store when they already occupy swaths of our neighbourhoods that used to be filled with mom-and-pop’s, boutique shops, and beloved eateries, or should they have free rein on the shelves as well?
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Photos clockwise starting at top left:
1. Matty Matheson’s products are much like his recipes both on the show and in his cookbooks - A twist or elevation on a dish or condiment you’re already familiar with.
2. Subway has had its share of controversies - Called out for select items not quite what they claimed (Take your pick: Bread, Chicken, Tuna) amongst them. Their sauces, available in four “fan-favourite flavours” (Baja Chipotle, Creamy Italian MVP, Roasted Garlic Aioli, Sweet Onion Teriyaki) however, have the ingredients listed right on the bottle.
3. Earl’s Kitchen + Bar has entered the prepared foods sector with Earls At Home - Hearty options including Clam Chowder and slow-cooked Pork Back Ribs In BBQ Sauce.
4. Mandy’s dressings are pricier than the mainstream due to premium ingredients and packaging.
5. Swiss Chalet’s ready-to-go eats span from Ribs, Soup, and this Loaded Potato Salad with Bacon. No sight of chicken. Yet. Their famous Chalet Dipping Sauce and Homestyle Gravy however, have been on offer in cans and powdered form for decades.
6. The marketing of Taco Bell’s products in-store has been, to put it mildly, aggressive. This endcap filled top to bottom with their signature fare, with more also stacked inches away inside the aisle proves the company is serious about getting their fast food into your hands/home one way (restaurant) or another (grocery store).
7. This photo really encapsulates what I’ve been seeing at shops all across the GTA - shelves bursting with resto fare - here The Keg, Montana’s, and Subway all snug next to one another on a single shelf.
8. Soup likely isn’t the key driving force at East Side Mario’s, but brand recognition trumps logic, so put it out there and by name alone, it will fly off the shelves. Hey-bada-boom-bada-bing.
Sign of the Times
Closure notice posted on the front door of Planta Queen. Photo by Stephanie Dickison | Toronto Restaurants. Taken May 28, 2026.
Communication in hospitality is key and it begins long before you’ve even stepped through an establishment’s doors. Which is why this matters - especially during this time when dine-in numbers can be unpredictable due to varying factors.
After I broke the story Planta restaurants in Toronto had suddenly shuttered, I went to check out the state of the space on Queen. The sign posted on the building’s façade (photo above) with the main word misspelled, and not one, not two, but three exclamation points, speaks volumes. While the company issued a longer statement following my announcement, the sheer brevity and haste of the closure notice conveys the feeling the now all-American co. has left Canada - and a decade of memories - in the dust. (Note: A notice from the lawyers for the landlord dated June 17, 2026 has been added, posted on the door next to the sign above.)
This isn’t an isolated event of slipshod messaging either.
Recently I discovered Mott 32, “one of the most awarded Chinese restaurant brands in the world” had closed for a while due to what appeared to be sudden renos, and shockingly had gone largely unnoticed by both the public and media. I traveled to The Shangri-La Hotel to investigate further.
Just as your clothes, wallet and furniture reveal a sense of who you are, what gets posted, printed, promoted, and presented IRL or online to the public is an extension of a restaurant and sets the tone for the kind of experience the guest should expect. For such a fine dining establishment - the mains at this upscale joint for spring and summer range from $52-$88 and Braised Whole Dried Fish Maw with Oyster Sauce will set you back a cool $650 - the crumpled paper says a lot. [UPDATE: I visited the establishment a week later - the sign remained.]
Sign posted to front door of fine dining Chinese restaurant Mott32 next to The Shangri-La Hotel. Photo by Stephanie Dickison | Toronto Restaurants. Taken June 6, 2026.
For a more detailed explanation for the shutdown, a lengthier, though still brief note resides where you make reservations: “Thank you for choosing Mott 32 Toronto. Due to ongoing maintenance and repair matters affecting our premises, we are currently unable to resume normal operations and are closed at this time. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and greatly appreciate your understanding and support.”
In the same vein as the signage above, an establishment’s messaging doesn’t stop at the door. Menus convey the entire premise of a restaurant in an instant.
A new restaurant that also considered itself a steakhouse launching in a family-oriented neighbourhood should be reason for celebration. Their ‘takeout’ menu (pictured in part below) however, resembles something done in Word in the 90s. This is not the first time, nor last, you’ll come across this kind of slapdash communiqué, but from a place that offers mains from $42-$108? No. Note: The eatery closed mere months after opening.
A takeout menu for a new steakhouse during the first few days after opening. Note: It was crumpled upon receipt. Photo by Stephanie Dickison | Toronto Restaurants.
These are not extreme nor few and far between examples. The prevalence of such dispatches reveals an industry contending with a slew of simultaneous disruptions, challenges, variables and stressors like never before. With little to no resources, aid, or relief in sight. They need help on federal and provincial levels now. That said, we are living in a time where certain elements of society are devolving quickly. Communication mustn’t be one of them. And standards, especially when it concerns hospitality, must remain high.
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