Foodtastic, a leading Canadian restaurant franchisor with a portfolio of 27 diverse brands and over 1,200 establishments across the country, has acquired Central Social Hall, an Edmonton-based premium casual dining and social hall brand known for its chef-driven menus, curated drinks, and community-focused hospitality.
“Central Social Hall is a strong all-Canadian brand with a clear identity and a faithful guest base,” said Peter Mammas, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Foodtastic. “Its unique positioning in the casual dining sector fits well with our approach to diversify and strengthen our portfolio with concepts that engage today’s guests. Central fills an important niche by offering a hybrid dining experience that appeals to both the casual diner and those craving a more refined atmosphere. We are looking forward to growing this great brand in Canada.”
He said the move supports the company’s strategy of adding strong Canadian brands to its portfolio of banners and expanding into dining concepts that cater to both everyday occasions and social gatherings.
Central Social Hall was founded in 2012 by Jerry Rota and Jesse Kupina and has two locations in Edmonton.
“From day one, Central was built to be a place where people can gather to celebrate around a high-quality meal and atmosphere and create lasting memories,” said Andrea Schlingmann, Brand Leader at Central Social Hall. “Foodtastic will provide Central with the infrastructure and scale to grow thoughtfully, while maintaining the culture, hospitality, and sense of community that are so important to us.”
The company plans to expand the brand beyond Edmonton through a staged rollout in Alberta and other Canadian provinces over the next few years.
Foodtastic’sbrands include Rotisseries Benny, La Belle et La Bœuf, Monza, Second Cup, Quesada, Freshii, and Pita Pit, among others.
Mammas said the company was looking for looking for something in the social hall, social bar aspect.
“We were actually going to create our own, but I happened to be in Edmonton and I met some wonderful folks from there and got to see Central. I said, you know what? It just doesn’t make sense to create a new concept. This makes perfect sense. Let’s see if we could buy it. They were also in the same mind frame. They wanted to sell. So it was kind of perfect for us. We got exactly what we wanted without having to make all the effort to create it,” he explained.
Mammas said the brand is something that Foodtastic thinks could easily be brought to other parts of Alberta.
“Also, in our portfolio, we may have some under performing locations which we could convert to something more modern and more appealing to the Gen Zs, like Central Social Hall,” he said.
“Basically, the social house or the social hall is a modern pub. That’s what it is. It’s the pubs of 2025, of our times. You have the old pubs, and they came over from Europe, and people used to go there and gather and eat. But now the young kids want more. I wouldn’t say quality food, but more intricate food, more fish. You have sushi on it. You can have trendy stuff on it. They also want not just beer. They want cocktails and ready-to-drink alcohol. It kind of encompasses everything. We see a space for it. There’s not that many competitors out there in that space. We think we could do really well with it.”
Mammas said the company is opening about two new stores a week in its umbrella.
Recently, Restaurants Canada warned about a growing number of establishments in the country that are struggling to stay alive.
“The larger players, we have a lot more resources, marketing-wise, site-wise, operationally. So we’re in a much better space,” explained Mammas.
“As far as the segments themselves, full-service restaurants are actually doing quite well. The consumer is still going out. Our full-service division is comping positively year over year. It’s because people know the economy might be tightening, there might be insecurities, but they still want to go out and enjoy a great meal with friends and family and socialize and celebrate all the milestones that life has to offer.
“Where we’re seeing softness is actually on the quick-service side. That’s where people are cutting back. Maybe they’re not eating out as much for breakfast or lunch, or ordering from third parties as much. They’re cutting back on stuff that’s replaceable, like the quick-service segment, but they’re still dining out.
“Those stats and what we see in our own system gave us the confidence to grow and buy Central, and gives us the confidence to grow that brand.”
(Photos courtesy of Central Social Hall)
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