The Charcoal Group of Restaurants in Ontario is opening four locations in 2024 with the plan to double its landscape in Canada within the next five years, evolve its menu, and keep in touch with each community.
“We are looking to double our landscape in Canada within the next five years. It is about bringing new experiences to communities and making it accessible for everyone to enjoy a great restaurant experience. We have been very fortunate to be able to create spaces where people really enjoy spending their time. It is about the experiences just as much as it is about the food,” says Jody Palubiski, the CEO of The Charcoal Group.
Four expansions for 2024
Palubiski said they are opening three new locations alongside the reopening of an existing restaurant for 2024.
There will be two new Beertown locations, one is going to be in Whitby and will open in July 2024 and the second location will be in London and will open by October 2024.
The Charcoal Group will also be renovating a Sole Restaurant and Wine Bar located in Waterloo in May 2024 and will be open for guests in April 2024. There is one more restaurant location that will be opening this year, but will be released at a later date as Palubiski wants to finalize leases before disclosing information – but all four locations will be opening this year.
Sole is 25 years old and will be the group’s first take-over restaurant. The former owner approached Palubiski about a year and a half ago and wanted to hand over the business to someone who would respect the employees who are already there, the landlord, and the guest base.
“We are doing a significant renovation and we are redoing the menus and beverage offerings. The service that you know – the artwork, uniforms, service, and logos – everything will be different and in a lot of ways, it will be like a brand new baby for us. This will be our first time we have really bought an existing restaurant where we plan on keeping the name.”
Palubiski said the restaurant will keep all remaining Sole staff during the process.
Doubling within five years
The Charcoal Group has 14 restaurants, and by October 2024 it will have 16. Looking ahead, Palubiski says the company would like to double its locations.
“We have a very aggressive growth plan over the next five years to double the size of our company. We have four locations opening this year, so we are really excited about that. We are really focused on making sure that we can bring new and exciting experiences to the communities that we serve and make sure it is accessible for everybody to have a great restaurant experience.”
Charcoal Group dates back to 1955 with the original Charcoal Steak House with an “unprecedented success for almost 70 years now.” Palubiski says Charcoal Group came together in 2003 and expanded its first restaurant Wildcraft in Waterloo in 2007 with another restaurant Bauer Kitchen in 2009 and opened its first Beertown in 2012 which was a “huge success.”
“We have built ten Beertowns and that has been largely the growth vehicle. We just began building two more Beetowns, one is underway in Whitby and we are in for permits to start a second location in London, Ontario. So largely, that is the growth plan and we want to continue scaling Beertowns and we are always looking for unique opportunities.”
As for other locations in the future, Palubiski said the company will mainly focus on Ontario in areas such as Kingston, Peterborough, Ottawa, Niagara, Hamilton, and more locations in the GTA.
“We are really looking at expanding our footprint across Ontario … These regions have shown great potential for our brand and we are excited to bring our unique experience to more across the province. We kind of look at stretching our radius an hour at a time so we can create as much efficiency and economies from the movement of all those individuals and still maintain the same level of oversight of operations on a daily basis.”
Although the main focus is currently expanding in Ontario, Palubiski said Charcoal Group has expressed interest in expanding further such as British Columbia and Alberta.
“We are definitely looking at markets outside of Ontario, with particular interest in areas like British Columbia and Alberta. We see a lot of potential in these regions to introduce our unique dining experiences. While we are excited about this expansion, the specific timeline for venturing into these provinces is still being determined.”
Deciding on new locations
By analyzing the local demographic, Charcoal Group is able to determine the appropriate location by researching competitors, finding optimal locations, and searching for locations that will increase foot traffic.
“We look at the demographics of the area and make sure it matches our target market. We also look at the competitive set within that area to make sure we have a point of differentiation. And then, we are looking for locations that have good visibility, easy access, and are in areas where there is a lot of activity – so close to hotels, close to highways, close to big box retailers, because that drives a lot of foot traffic.”
Webster Real Estate represents Charcoal Group for its expansion plans.
“We want people to have a great time”
Palubiski said Charcoal Group aims to provide exceptional dining experiences, focusing on quality, new innovations, and continue to produce fresh and locally sourced ingredients.
“We are always looking at how we can elevate the dining experience for our guests, whether that is through the ambiance of our locations, the quality of our service, or the innovation in our menu. Recently, we have been excited to introduce new vegan options to cater to the evolving dietary preferences and health-conscious choices of our guests. It is all about providing a memorable and inclusive dining experience that meets the diverse needs of our community.”
To evaluate new trends for its restaurants, Charcoal Group places a high emphasis on guests’ feedback – staying committed to customer satisfaction, keeping updated, and remaining at the forefront of the hospitality industry.
As staying active in the community its restaurants are in is important, Palubiski says Charcoal Group supports local suppliers by sourcing ingredients locally, gets involved by hosting community events, and provides employment with growth opportunities. With these,Charcoal Group is not only thriving on the business side, but is also thriving on being an important part of each community they touch.
“When a restaurant has done incredibly well, you truly become part of the community. So I always kind of say ‘look around, this is a team that we are going to do something special with, because we are going into this community today and what we are doing here will change this community and people will meet that would never have met, people will get married that would never have had met, and babies will be born because of what we are doing today.’ So I really believe that as a hub where people come together, there is a shift that happens in the community when a restaurant opens and operates at a high-level.”
