The Lil' Baci restaurant at 892 Queen Street East is closing after more than a decade of service, leaving many locals to mourn their favourite spot for "Italian food, crafted with love and integrity."
Another Leslieville business owner shared the news in a neighbourhood Facebook group last week, prompting much speculation as to why the popular restaurant would be shutting down: Skyrocketing rent prices? Increased commercial tax rates? Gentrification?
Mark Bacci, one of Lil' Baci's co-owners, put a rest to the rumours by weighing in on the Facebook thread.
"We're still just as busy to be honest," he explained, "but as some of you mentioned, the cost of doing business is crushing margins, hence we've decided to change concepts."
Bacci also noted that the minimum wage hike had resulted in most restaurant suppliers raising their prices, in turn forcing restaurants to raise their own prices.
"This bothered us a lot, as we didn't want to push the cost onto the customer and we recognized we were moving away from our core business of value," he wrote.
"Our new concept will reflect more our business philosophy, which centres around value."
The new restaurant will be more in line with Annabelle Pasta Bar, says Bacci, which he also co-owns along with Bob Coffee Bar at 44o Christie St.
"It's trying times for small businesses in the city for sure, but it also forces business owners to get creative, to rethink the status quo," he said, "which is a big part of what we've done."
The Yonge and Eglington outpost of Lil' Baci closed quietly just a few months ago, but both Annabelle and Bob Coffee Bar are still thriving at Davenport and Christie.
by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO
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