Second Cup Café, one of Canada’s leading specialty coffee retailers, has officially opened its latest location at the busy Kipling GO Transit Bus Terminal in Toronto’s Etobicoke area. The new café marks the 179th location for Second Cup in Canada, highlighting the brand’s continued growth under its parent company, Foodtastic.
The grand opening celebration, held on June 5, attracted more than 100 customers eager to visit the new location. Patrons were treated to complimentary hot and cold beverage samples, baked goods, and coupons for future purchases. In addition, Second Cup offered a 15% discount on all items throughout the grand opening day as part of its community engagement efforts.
“The Kipling GO Transit Bus Terminal Second Cup kiosk is a perfect example of how we’re evolving to meet the needs of modern commuters—combining convenience, quality, and a fresh new design to deliver an elevated coffee experience on the go,” said Cendrine Lavigne, Marketing Director of Second Cup. “We’re excited to serve great coffee and be a part of the daily routines of thousands of people passing through Kipling GO Transit Bus Terminal each day.”
Serving Busy Commuters in a Growing Neighbourhood
The new Second Cup café occupies more than 500 square feet inside the transit hub, strategically located to serve both daily commuters and nearby residents. The Kipling GO Transit Bus Terminal functions as a key interchange connecting Toronto’s TTC subway system at the western terminus of the Bloor Line with the MiWay bus system serving Mississauga. The station is also surrounded by growing residential condominium developments, office towers, and quick-service restaurants, making it an increasingly vibrant mixed-use district in Etobicoke.
The Kipling location now joins five other Second Cup cafés already operating in the Etobicoke area, further strengthening the brand’s footprint in the west end of Toronto.
The new location is owned and operated by seasoned Second Cup franchisees Kartik Behl, Gemma Behl, and Harry Sidhu. Together, the partners now manage a total of nine Second Cup locations across the Greater Toronto Area, including cafés at the University of Toronto St. George campus, Commerce Court in Toronto’s financial district, and Heartland in Mississauga. Their growing portfolio reflects Foodtastic’s franchise-driven expansion model that has become central to Second Cup’s growth strategy in recent years.
A Canadian Coffee Brand with Deep Roots
Second Cup Café was founded in August 1975 by Tom Culligan and Frank O’Dea, who opened their first kiosk in a Toronto shopping mall. Originally offering six blends of whole-bean coffee, Second Cup grew to become one of Canada’s most recognizable specialty coffee brands. Over the decades, the company expanded its menu offerings to include a broad range of espresso-based beverages, teas, baked goods, and light food items, while emphasizing sustainability and ethical sourcing.
In March 2025, Second Cup celebrated its 50th anniversary, marking a half-century as a fixture of Canadian café culture. That milestone came amid significant growth under the stewardship of its current parent company.
Foodtastic’s Acquisition and Growth Strategy
Second Cup’s parent company, Quebec-based Foodtastic Inc., acquired the brand in 2021. On February 8, 2021, Aegis Brands, then the parent of Second Cup, signed a definitive agreement to sell “substantially all of the assets” of Second Cup to Foodtastic for approximately $14 million CAD in cash, subject to adjustments. The sale formally closed on April 26, 2021, with net proceeds to Aegis totalling approximately $12 million CAD after customary adjustments. An earn-out tied to royalties from newly opened cafés was also included in the deal structure.
At the time of the transaction, Foodtastic CEO Peter Mammas emphasized the company’s plan to revitalize the Second Cup brand and expand its national footprint. “We see Second Cup as a quality Canadian brand with growth potential,” Mammas said when the deal was announced. “Our goal is to position Second Cup for long-term growth with an enhanced premium-coffee focus.”
The purchase was part of Foodtastic’s larger strategy of acquiring and growing established Canadian foodservice brands with scalable franchising models.
Second Cup Now Foodtastic’s Top Performer
Since the acquisition, Second Cup has become one of the strongest-performing brands in Foodtastic’s diverse portfolio. In an April 2025 interview with Retail Insider, Mammas stated that Second Cup had emerged as Foodtastic’s best-performing banner. At that time, more than 20 new Second Cup locations were in the pipeline, including the recently opened Kipling GO Terminal café.
Foodtastic now operates more than 1,200 franchised restaurant locations across Canada with 22 different banners, including brands such as Freshii, Quesada, Pita Pit, Milestones, and several others. The Montreal-based company has aggressively grown its portfolio in recent years through a combination of acquisitions and organic expansion, with Second Cup playing a key role in its ongoing growth strategy.
Strategic Partnerships with Transit Authorities
The new Kipling location reflects Second Cup’s broader approach of situating cafés in high-traffic areas such as transit hubs, office complexes, and mixed-use developments. The partnership with Metrolinx, the Ontario government agency responsible for regional transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, allowed Second Cup to secure prime retail space inside the newly redeveloped Kipling GO Transit Bus Terminal.
Metrolinx continues to oversee major transportation infrastructure investments across the Greater Golden Horseshoe region, including GO Transit, UP Express, and the PRESTO fare system. Its ongoing work to modernize transportation hubs has created new opportunities for retailers like Second Cup to access large volumes of daily commuters seeking convenient, high-quality food and beverage options while in transit.
A Continued Focus on Growth
Second Cup’s opening at Kipling is part of Foodtastic’s larger plan to grow the brand domestically. The continued rollout of new cafés, including locations in commuter hubs, suburban plazas, university campuses, and office complexes, signals that Second Cup remains an important player in Canada’s competitive specialty coffee market. As consumers increasingly seek convenience combined with premium offerings, Second Cup is positioning itself to meet that demand while maintaining its Canadian roots.
