Well-known Toronto restaurateur says her restaurant might be forced to close
Published November 22, 2024 at 2:27 pm
In an emotional social media post, acclaimed Toronto restaurateur Jen Agg says that one of her long-standing restaurants–and one close to her heart–is struggling to stay afloat.
Earlier this week, Agg, who has made headlines over the years for operating beloved restaurants such as the now-closed Black Hoof and the very much alive Grey Gardens, said that the lack of weekday traffic is having a significant impact on Rhum Corner, the Haitian restaurant she runs with her husband, Roland Jean.
“Let me just start by saying this is going to be overly sincere. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to describe Rhum Corner as a deeply special place, born of our marriage and the conflation of two cultures,” she wrote, adding that even with her input, the resto is a Haitian hotspot staffed by Haitian cooks and informed by Roland’s “presence and impeccable taste in art and music.”
The restaurant, which opened in late 2013, is, Agg says, a popular spot on weekends.
That said, lineups and crowds on Fridays and Saturdays aren’t enough to keep the Dundas Street West hotspot–known for its ‘cool’ vibes, rum-based cocktails, “cheap and tasty” food and “legendary washrooms”–going indefinitely.
“Rhum has both survived and persevered for over 11 years, but it’s starting to feel like we can’t keep going,” she wrote.
“And as much as you might think Rhum is busy when you come there on weekends, that is not how the metrics of restaurants work, you need to be busy every day that you’re open or at least 80 per cent of the time. And that’s just not happening for us during the week.”
Agg says that the low weekday traffic is a tough thing to talk about, but that it presents significant challenges–especially since the restaurant is also facing a rent hike. In her post, she also says she suspects Rhum Corner isn’t the only older restaurant struggling to make ends meet.
“And I truly don’t know how we make it through another winter and it feels kind of crazy to try,” she wrote.
In the post, she says that she and Jean are agonizing over the resto–known for serving such Haitian staples as salt cod patty, rice n’ beans, legumes with beef, oxtail and bean sauce, Haitian fried chicken and more–and its uncertain future. Emphasizing the pair’s emotional connection to the restaurant–especially since Jean cannot pursue his other passion, art, following a stroke–Agg also says the restaurant is meaningful to the city’s Haitian diaspora.
“I happen to agree that [the restaurant] is cool and special–the magic of our little block pulsing with Rara energy on a hot summer night simply cannot be beat,” she wrote.
“It’s almost impossible for me to imagine what [Jean] will do without a place to connect with his good memories of Haiti, the parts of his youth that are inescapably burned into him, like finding beautiful kompa through his mother teaching him to dance and her cooking as platonic ideal.”
Thanking loyal customers, Agg says she’s at an impasse and that while “all restaurants have their time in the sun,” older ones are at risk.
She ended the post with a question mark, saying that while she doesn’t want to give up on the restaurant, she’s not sure what will happen.
The post attracted a ton of positive feedback, with customers sharing memories and promising to visit when they can.
“My wife and I met here. We had our wedding reception dinner here. We’ll be coming back as often as we can,” one poster wrote on Instagram.
Others said the spot is integral to the community.
“Jen, I am absolutely devastated. [Rhum Corner] feels like home for so many reasons…when I want to introduce friends to my Haitian culture, I bring them to Rhum. It also represents the neighbourhood where I grew up and of course my first restaurant job,” another poster wrote.
“I don’t know what I will do without Rhum. As you said, the Haitian diaspora in Toronto needs this space.”