A new course

A lunchtime institution, Willie’s Café makes the move to One London Place

WHEN THE OWNER of Willie’s Café, Ian Kennard, announced last December that he was moving the beloved eatery out of Old East Village, where it had operated since moving there in 2017, it seemed like a lot of the focus was placed on what he was leaving, rather than where he was going. It became another story about the challenges faced by businesses dealing with social crises right at, and in many cases in, their doorsteps — challenges Kennard was experiencing first-hand.

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But while he speaks very thoughtfully and empathetically about those issues, there’s another story he’d rather be telling.

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“You know, I don’t want that to be what this is about,” he stresses. “I want hope, I want opportunity, I want this neighbourhood [OEV] to come back. I just had to get out so that I could thrive, my business could thrive, my staff could thrive and we could get another chance at keeping a business that’s been around for 43 years going.”

He’d rather tell the story about the next chapter in Willie’s Café’s history, and the elevator pitch for why you might want to bet on Willie’s is simple: “Main floor, One London Place. Right across from Canada Life. Five times the size of what we had,” says Kennard.

The location, which opened on March 16, came about after an introduction was made between Kennard and Sifton Properties, owners of One London Place. After initially exploring a different location that wasn’t a fit, “they said, ‘Well, we might have another location — it’s One London Place,’” Kennard recalls. “I said, ‘Well, you know, that would probably work for me.’”

Compared to his previous location, this Willie’s will be substantially bigger — 2,600 square feet, two storeys, a grab-and-go pantry and foot traffic full of what Kennard calls “a-list clients” for a food-and-beverage business focused on the lunch trade and corporate catering.

Beyond all that, however, nothing is changing with the tried-and-true concept. “We just wanna do Willie’s, but more of it. Way more of it,” Kennard says.

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But why now? He’s operated the business for 30 years — a stretch that might see other industry veterans simply hang up the apron. Kennard, on the other hand, seems to be quietly fired up. “Do I just walk away? Or do I go all in again on something that would challenge us? Something that will give staff the opportunity to really show what they’re capable of?”

A year from now, he hopes to look back on this move as one of his best decisions, and to wonder why he didn’t make it sooner. “I want to be thriving. Flourishing. And profitable.” Kieran Delamont