Back in 2014, a roasted head of cauliflower put Fat Pasha 鈥 the Anthony Rose-helmed Dupont restaurant 鈥 on the map.聽
This humble head of cauliflower stood out. It was a magnificent entr茅e, a vegetable not relegated as an appetizer or a sidekick to meat, adorned like a holiday centerpiece with little gems of pomegranate and punctuated, literally, by a knife sticking out from its top. Gimmicky? Maybe. But this was before virality turned menu items into flashes in the pan 鈥 this dish was meant to be shared at the table, not on Instagram.
It also stood out for its cost: a cool $25. Recently, while browsing the online menu, I noticed that the price has jumped to $41.聽
I was surprised, but not shocked. In many ways, the $41 cauliflower entr茅e is a symbol of modern 海角社区官网dining, where casual mains now hover around $30.
While dining out has always been a luxury, but it feels especially indulgent now as the cost of everything 鈥 from groceries to rent 鈥 continues to climb. In the last year, fewer Canadians are dining out 鈥 and those who do are cutting back in other ways, like sharing dishes or choosing cheaper menu items.
Restaurants, meanwhile, are facing higher operating costs and pressure to offer value. So how did we get here? And how are both diners and restaurant owners adapting?
From prix-fixe lunches to hearty sandwiches, here are four places in 海角社区官网where you can get delicious meals without breaking the bank.
From prix-fixe lunches to hearty sandwiches, here are four places in 海角社区官网where you can get delicious meals without breaking the bank.
Diners feeling the squeeze
When I asked readers if they鈥檇 noticed the rising price of going out to eat, dozens replied with a unanimous yes.
“Thirty per cent tip options for self-serve dining,” one wrote, followed by a facepalm emoji.
“I鈥檓 on a fixed income so with the ever-rising costs of everything there鈥檚 very little to no income left for eating out,” said another. “I don鈥檛 begrudge (restaurants for) the increase, but 鈥 you can鈥檛 get blood from a stone.”
Many said they鈥檙e cooking more, using loyalty programs, or heading to places like Markham and Scarborough, where their dollar goes further.
Evan Shuster, who co-runs a mental health training firm with his wife, says they and their friends host regular dinner parties instead of going out. “We all feel the pain of getting babysitters and spending $400 dining out a month, so why not just host each other? It scratches the itch, and we end up spending less.”
Kelly Higginson, , says many diners have reached their spending limit. 鈥淚n some ways we hit the ceiling for a lot of people: we saw the drop in spending among Canadians,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e continued to see this significant retraction in spending in the last five years.鈥
In its latest report on the state of dining in Canada 鈥 released in February and based on 2024 data 鈥斅爉enu prices were 3.4 per cent higher this past November compared to the same month in 2023. Thirty-six per cent of Canadians said they ate out less. Among those still going out to sit-down restaurants, many opted for shared dishes or skipped drinks.
Per-person restaurant spending dipped to $2,344 in 2024, down from $2,417 in 2023 and below 2019鈥檚 inflation-adjusted average of $2,554. One in four Canadians with a household income under $50,000 didn鈥檛 dine out at all last summer.聽
The bar area of Chantecler restaurant at Bloor Street West and Crawford Street.
RUBY PHOTO STUDIO / WWW.RUBYPHOTOSTUDIO.COM海角社区官网restaurants are feeling the heat
Restaurants, meanwhile, are struggling with surging expenses. Restaurants Canada reports that between 2022 and the spring of 2024, food costs rose by 24 per cent, labour by 18 per cent, and insurance by 24 per cent. Many are still paying off pandemic-era losses.鈥淩estaurant operators were just happy to have people back and didn鈥檛 raise prices as much as they needed to (when they reopened),鈥 Higginson says. 鈥淲hen they raised prices, they鈥檙e playing catch up with previous inflation increases. The reality is we鈥檝e always been a slim-margin industry.鈥
Michael von Massow, a food economics professor at the University of Guelph, notes that restaurants tend to purchase more big-ticket items, like meat, which have seen sharp price increases. Statistics Canada reports that while the average grocery price rose by 3.2 per cent from March 2024 to March 2025, beef prices spiked 12.9 per cent, butter by 4.7 per cent, and coffee by 11 per cent.
There’s also a psychological factor: “When our budgets get squeezed, we notice price increases more 鈥 and going out is the most expensive way to get food.”
Chantecler, a small bistro near Christie Pits Park, first opened in 2012 in Parkdale as a casual neighbourhood spot. After a fire forced its closure, it reopened in 2023 in its current location. Owner Jacob Wharton-Shukster says he now faces the pressure of keeping prices low (with mains starting around the mid-$20s) while meeting rising expectations from diners who view his restaurant as an affordable alternative to fine dining.
“We’re the ones facing the most scrutiny because diners are at a breaking point,” he says, adding that he too can no longer afford his once-a-year treat of going to a fine-dining restaurant in the city. “Food costs more, so of course people want more out of it...If expectations are not met, it鈥檚 a letdown.”聽
To elevate the experience, Chantecler offers coat check, which it didn’t before. When they reopened in 2023, the steak tartare was $19. It鈥檚 now $24 鈥 though there鈥檚 a $10 version during happy hour.
These two shops opened months apart, but together they鈥檝e found an easy rhythm 鈥 and a loyal
Where do we go from here?
Restaurants Canada is pushing for the permanent , citing聽its latest report聽released Monday, which shows a 4.3 per cent increase in overall commercial food sales compared to January of the previous year (adjusted for inflation). Full-service restaurants saw the largest sales boost during the January GST holiday.
Still, the report notes that ongoing tariff uncertainty from the U.S. has caused聽Canadians’ confidence in the economy to dip in March 2025, reaching its lowest point since the start of the pandemic. This has created an uncertain outlook for the dining industry over the next two years, with sales expected to dip slightly. Whether the recent spike in dining out is sustainable remains unclear. Food economist von Massow questions whether the surge was driven more by a fear of missing out on deals or simply by the seasonal holiday boost.
He doesn鈥檛 expect menu prices to drop, and says the trend can only continue if wages 鈥 especially for lower-income earners 鈥 begin to rise.
鈥淲e hear industries that pay minimum wage scream when we talk about raising the minimum wage,鈥 he says. 鈥淏ut if people make more money, they鈥檙e more likely to go out.鈥
Affordability, particularly housing costs, will also play a key role in the future of Toronto鈥檚 restaurant scene. 鈥淲e鈥檙e paying a lot of money for staff but at the same time they鈥檙e still reaching 50 per cent housing costs, that鈥檚 crazy,鈥 says Chantecler鈥檚 Wharton-Shukster.
Still hungry for a night out
No one can predict the future of the restaurant industry, but history shows 鈥 from the 2008 economic downturn to the pandemic lockdowns 鈥 that restaurants always find a way to endure and adapt.聽Whether it’s leaning into new income streams like takeout or merchandise, moving to less expensive neighbourhoods (in 2012, Parkdale had a moratorium on new bars and restaurants); or relying on lower-cost ingredients with higher profit margins, the industry is resilient.
Diners are eating out less, but when they do, they seek experiences that leave a lasting impression, whether through exceptional food, service, or ambiance.
“I find McDonald鈥檚 extremely expensive now, you can鈥檛 get anything for $10,” says Genevieve Anderson, 53, a chaplaincy leader at a Brampton Catholic School. “I might as well spend $20 to support a local, independent place because the quality of cooking and bartending skills is more at a high level.”
Fat Pasha鈥檚 whole roasted cauliflower faced a price hike during a supply shortage in 2016. Chef Rose briefly took it off the menu, saying he couldn鈥檛 justify charging more than $40 for a head of cauliflower.
Nearly a decade later, I ask Rose if diners are still ordering the dish at that price.
“One hundred per cent 鈥 it鈥檚 still our best-selling dish.”
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