The Charles sisters Nicole, Donna and Renée ran a successful catering company out of their home in Scarborough for many years before deciding to make a go in the restaurant industry. With the support of their family, in 2019, they opened SugarKane in Toronto’s Greektown where they serve up delicious Caribbean & Cajun cuisine. It was a tough go at first to make a name for themselves in the predominantly Greek Toronto neighbourhood and then the pandemic hit causing them to close their doors temporarily. How did they survive? Listen to find out.
You can learn more about SugarKane at sugarkanerestaurant.ca.
Al Grego:
Hello, everyone. I'm Al Grego, and this is the Yes, We Are Open podcast. Today, I am back in Toronto, specifically in Greektown, also known as the Danforth on account of it being located on Danforth Avenue. It's the largest Greek neighborhood in North America and one of the most cosmopolitan areas in Toronto. In 1976, the area was sometimes referred to as little Athens with approximately 65,000 Greeks living in the vicinity. But more recently, the area has experienced a wave of gentrification as higher priced bars and restaurants have moved in. Now, Greektown boasts one of the highest concentrations of restaurants per kilometer in the world.
It's also one of Toronto's more famous neighborhoods, home of the Taste of the Danforth, an annual street festival that attracts up to 1.6 million people to the two-kilometer stretch of street over a weekend of food, fun, and music. It's mentioned in the Barenaked Ladies song The Old Apartment, and it was also where the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding was primarily shot, despite it being set in Chicago. So I wouldn't blame you for thinking this week's subject is one of those Greek restaurants, cafes, bakeries, or shops, but it isn't. In fact, in a few short steps, I'm going from Mediterranean to Caribbean to visit one of Greektown's newest residents and this week's subject, SugarKane Caribbean and Cajun Cuisine.
I walk into a cool-looking dining room, lots to take in visually, from the various art pieces on display to the brick-backed stage with SugarKane in yellow neon to the island-inspired bar and kitchen across from a wonderful collage of Caribbean and Cajun-inspired imagery. The restaurant isn't open yet, but the staff are busily preparing for a Saturday evening dinner and show. The amazing smells from the kitchen are simultaneously making me hungry and taking me back to my last Caribbean vacation in Jamaica.
Renée Charles:
Hi.
Al Grego:
Hi. Renée?
Renée Charles:
Renée.
Al Grego:
I'm Al.
Renée Charles:
How are you?
Al Grego:
I'm well. How are you?
Renée Charles:
Not too bad. [inaudible 00:02:24]. Nice to meet you.
Al Grego:
That's Renée. She along with her twin sister Donna and their older sister Nicole are the restaurant owners. Donna isn't in yet, so Renée, Nicole, and I sit at one of their tables for their interview.
Renée Charles:
Hi, I'm Renée, and I'm co-owner of SugarKane Restaurant.
Nicole Charles:
Hi, I'm Nicole, and I'm the co-owner of SugarKane Restaurant as well.
Al Grego:
Okay, great. You guys are sisters?
Renée Charles:
Yes.
Nicole Charles:
Yes, we are.
Al Grego:
And you have a third sister who's also a co-owner?
Renée Charles:
Yes, my twin sister, Donna.
Nicole Charles:
Right.
Al Grego:
Donna?
Renée Charles:
Yeah.
Al Grego:
So when did SugarKane open?
Nicole Charles:
June of 2019.
Al Grego:
All right. So a few years ago.
Renée Charles:
Yeah.
Nicole Charles:
Yep.
Renée Charles:
Four years. Going to be four years.
Nicole Charles:
Yep. It'll be four.
Al Grego:
Let's talk about why a Caribbean restaurant in Greektown? That seems-
Nicole Charles:
I know. It always seems odd, but the thing about it is Greektown is so... Everybody goes to Greektown for food, and there's a lot of families. There's date nights, a lot of sick... There's a lot of everybody.
Renée Charles:
There's a lot of walking traffic, a lot of events here and things like that.
Nicole Charles:
A lot of walking traffic, right. And what better way to stand out is by being a Caribbean restaurant right in the middle of Greektown?
Al Grego:
You know what? That's perfect. You're right. You're not the fish out of water, but, yeah, everyone's here looking for Greek food. Oh.
Renée Charles:
And it's becoming a little multicultural around here now too, and we were looking on the Danforth for two years.
Nicole Charles:
For a while, yeah. We were looking-
Al Grego:
So you specifically wanted this area?
Renée Charles:
We specifically wanted it.
Nicole Charles:
Oh, we specifically wanted this area.
Renée Charles:
Yeah.
Al Grego:
Why? Is it because you grew up around here or-
Nicole Charles:
No, we just-
Renée Charles:
No, we're Scarborough.
Nicole Charles:
Yeah. We are from Scarborough. But, no, just because of those reasons. I mean, there's so much walking traffic, and then love Greek people and Greek culture and everybody's just so friendly. Even opening here, everybody was so warm and welcoming. Yeah.
Al Grego:
Okay.
Renée Charles:
Well, we started with catering about six, seven years ago. We started with catering. Originally, it started with my parents because they taught us how to cook and we had family coming over to the house all the time.
Nicole Charles:
Our house was always the house.
Renée Charles:
Exactly.
Nicole Charles:
Always the house. People would stop by on the weekends, family, friends, whoever it is. They knew if they stopped by, they're getting a plate of food. My mom and dad would cook a big pot of rice and peas, a big pot of whatever, and that was awesome.
Al Grego:
So you guys are from Scarborough, born and raised?
Renée Charles:
We're born and raised in Scarborough, and our parents are from Trinidad and Grenada.
Nicole Charles:
And Grenada, yeah.
Al Grego:
When did they come over?
Nicole Charles:
God, way-
Renée Charles:
In the '40s?
Nicole Charles:
In the '40s, yeah.
Al Grego:
So they've been here a while.
Renée Charles:
They've been here a while.
Nicole Charles:
Yeah, they've been here for a while.
Al Grego:
And you guys were born here?
Renée Charles:
Born here, yeah.
Al Grego:
In terms of running a restaurant, is this something you guys always wanted to do?
Nicole Charles:
It was like a dream. We always wanted to do it, but honestly we just thought, "There's no way. How are we going to get the money? Who's going to give us any money? It's just not going to happen." Which is why we just started-
Renée Charles:
The catering.
Nicole Charles:
... the catering. So eventually we were like, "It would be really..." It seemed like there was a possibility because people kept saying, "Your food is amazing, everything... Your service is great," and this and that. We were thinking, "Maybe this could be a possibility."
Renée Charles:
This could become reality. We're like, "Yeah, maybe."
Nicole Charles:
And then our parents were so gracious enough to be like, "Hey, guys, here you go. We believe in you guys, and we know you guys are going to do a great job." They're basically the ones that helped us fund-
Al Grego:
Your parents were your investors?
Nicole Charles:
Yes, they were.
Al Grego:
Seven, eight years ago, so around, what, 2015 you started with the catering?
Renée Charles:
It was about that, yeah.
Nicole Charles:
Yeah. About that. Right.
Al Grego:
What sorts of events were you doing?
Nicole Charles:
Oh my gosh. Everything-
Renée Charles:
Everything from baby showers to funerals to [inaudible 00:05:48] dedications-
Nicole Charles:
Corporate events.
Renée Charles:
... to corporate events.
Nicole Charles:
We'd cater sometimes, just the three of us, and we would cater for-
Renée Charles:
American Express, 500-
Nicole Charles:
... 600 people.
Al Grego:
Wow.
Nicole Charles:
Yeah. It was nuts.
Al Grego:
Out of your own kitchen at home?
Renée Charles:
Yeah.
Nicole Charles:
Yep. Pretty much. Yep.
Al Grego:
Wow. That must have been fun.
Renée Charles:
I know. Sometimes we'll have to work in a four by four kitchen. We're like, "Come on."
Nicole Charles:
Yeah. For 100 people. "How is this going to work?" But we always end up getting the food out and make it work.
Al Grego:
Was it called SugarKane from the beginning?
Nicole Charles:
No, it was actually called Spiked Punch.
Renée Charles:
No, it was Spiked Punch.
Al Grego:
Why Spiked Punch?
Nicole Charles:
No idea. It just seemed cool. Then we also had a signature spiked punch that we would offer to everybody. We actually have it here now too at the restaurant, just in ode to Spiked Punch.
Renée Charles:
Spiked Punch. You can get it unspiked or spiked. Yeah.
Nicole Charles:
Right.
Al Grego:
Great. Well, I mean, catering is one thing. I'm sure you had to learn a lot to be successful caterers. What did you know about running a restaurant?
Nicole Charles:
Oh my gosh. Pretty much next to nothing, honestly. I mean, we knew some things. We knew what we wanted. We're very practical, and people seem to think all the time that we just know what we're doing. I guess we seem to have that flow with us or whatever.
Renée Charles:
[inaudible 00:06:58].
Nicole Charles:
But we honestly... Yes. But we did a lot of research as well too. We did a lot of research, and we have a lot of people that we know that are restaurant owners, and we're always learning. We're always trying to teach ourselves and learn because, right now, just with SugarKane right now, it is-
Renée Charles:
We're still learning.
Nicole Charles:
We're still learning.
Renée Charles:
The thing about it is we're not even... We didn't go to school for culinary and cooking or anything like that. Nicole was in business, I was in social work, and my twin Donna was in automotive. So we were in totally different paths.
Nicole Charles:
Completely different things.
Al Grego:
Yeah, very [inaudible 00:07:28].
Nicole Charles:
Right.
Al Grego:
Amazing.
Nicole Charles:
It comes back to our parents. They're the ones that, like I said, have been just so supportive, and they're the ones that basically taught us... We'd come home and we'd be like, "Dad..." We were always on diets. You know teenagers. We're always like, "Oh, I'm on a diet." And then we come home and my dad has jerk fish, and we're like, "What, are you..." Then there's jerk potatoes. He would jerk freaking everything in... But I mean everything.
Renée Charles:
He would jerk everything. And he fried a lot of stuff too.
Nicole Charles:
He fried a lot of stuff. Oh. It's a whole lot. But they were literally the inspiration behind all of it.
Florence Charles:
I'm the girls' mom. My name is Florence. I come down every Saturday.
Al Grego:
To see the music?
Florence Charles:
To see, and if there's anything special on during the week, they'll bring me down.
Al Grego:
Excellent.
Florence Charles:
I worked at WSIB, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, most of the time and a couple other companies before that. I did a lot of cooking at home, and people would come in and eat and drink and enjoy the food. My husband, he passed, but he did all the cooking too.
Al Grego:
So everyone in the house cooked?
Florence Charles:
Oh, yeah. Everybody loved cooking.
Al Grego:
Yeah. So when the girls started their catering company, what did you think? Were you happy to see it?
Florence Charles:
Oh, yeah. I was so happy. I was so happy to see them because they used to cook at home and people would come and collect the food and things. So then when they decided to get into the restaurant business, that's when I thought, "Geez," and I knew their father would've been so proud of them. He passed, but he would've been. So I encouraged them.
Al Grego:
Yeah. And you-
Florence Charles:
Whatever I can afford and help, sure. Take my credit cards and go.
Nicole Charles:
First thing was finding a location and narrowing that down, and we finally found this spot in Greektown. Honestly, it was such a whirlwind. Every time I think about that beginning of actually getting the keys and everything else, it just seemed like such a risk. We had to have the money down and this down and sign this paper and sign... We were signing our lives away, it felt like.
Renée Charles:
I remember Nicole was calling us and we're like, "This is really happening." My sister Donna and I, we were just like... We were in the basement and we were like... We were shaking. We were like, "Is this really happening."
Nicole Charles:
Is this really happening?
Renée Charles:
We're like, "I don't know. I'm scared." We were super scared.
Nicole Charles:
Yeah. It was pretty scary.
Al Grego:
Nicole, are you the older?
Nicole Charles:
Yes, I am. I am.
Al Grego:
So were you kind of driving this?
Renée Charles:
Yes.
Nicole Charles:
I did. Honestly, I think, as scared as I was, I was pretty much the one that was pushing forward for everything and trying to guide them with us.
Renée Charles:
She was. If it wasn't for her pushing... Yeah. So-
Al Grego:
In the beginning, were the three of you working in the kitchen, or did you hire a-
Nicole Charles:
Oh gosh.
Renée Charles:
No. One thing... Yeah.
Nicole Charles:
That was the one thing we did agree on, is that none of us wanted to work in the kitchen. We've been doing it for so long, we were just like, "Okay, we just need to literally find chefs that we're going to say, 'Hey, here's our recipes, here's how we do it. We don't even know how to put it nicely on the plate, but that's where you come in.'" So, honestly, the chefs that we've had come through, they literally... It's just like our hands made it and put it through, or we should say our parents' hands made it and put it through. Then they also make it look beautiful, which is what we could never really do.
Al Grego:
Do you know what this place was before you guys took it over?
Nicole Charles:
Yeah.
Renée Charles:
Nacho bar.
Nicole Charles:
A nacho bar. Yeah.
Al Grego:
Okay. So the kitchen was already here, I guess.
Renée Charles:
Yeah. Yeah. It-
Nicole Charles:
Yeah. It was a crazy-looking kitchen.
Renée Charles:
Yeah. The-
Nicole Charles:
This place was more like a frat house. That's what it was. It was younger guys, and they literally had bras hanging from the ceilings. It was that kind of place. Yeah. We wanted to really make it our own, and we were like, "If we're going to do this, we're putting some money into it," and we did. We hired some designers, and they-
Renée Charles:
Helped us, yeah.
Nicole Charles:
... asked us what we were looking for and we-
Al Grego:
Yeah, I love the collage.
Renée Charles:
She did this. That's Nicole's project.
Nicole Charles:
Yes, that's my project.
Al Grego:
Oh, nice. And the one down the stairs [inaudible 00:11:39].
Nicole Charles:
Yes.
Renée Charles:
Yes.
Al Grego:
I love the stage. Did you always think you were going to have live music?
Renée Charles:
Yes. The one thing we said-
Nicole Charles:
That was... 100%.
Renée Charles:
... when we were opening is that we got to have a stage because, prior to this, we had a show called Rock the Mic, and we showcased Toronto talent.
Al Grego:
Oh, really?
Renée Charles:
Yeah. So that was one of our-
Nicole Charles:
Yes. We're huge about Toronto talent. We're very big supporters. We love music. That was no question. There's not going to be any restaurant without any music.
Al Grego:
And what kind of music do you predominantly feature, Caribbean music, I guess?
Nicole Charles:
It's a little bit of everything.
Renée Charles:
It's a bit of everything.
Nicole Charles:
It's Caribbean, it's R&B, it's jazz, it's New Orleans style bands. It's a little bit of... As long as it's music and it's from Toronto, we're here.
Al Grego:
So local?
Renée Charles:
Local, yeah.
Nicole Charles:
Local, 100%. Yeah. I mean, it would be nice to have some international people come through, but honestly it's there for-
Al Grego:
Drake and The Weeknd are also local.
Nicole Charles:
Hell, yeah. Exactly.
Renée Charles:
Yeah. Exactly.
Nicole Charles:
Right.
Al Grego:
I mean, it also kind of looks a bit... With the brick wall, it looks like it could be a comedy stage.
Renée Charles:
Yes, I know. A lot-
Nicole Charles:
Yes, it does. It does. I would like to stand up here and do comedy.
Renée Charles:
[inaudible 00:12:39].
Nicole Charles:
We don't have any people coming through, but I would love... We were thinking about-
Renée Charles:
A few people have approached us about it-
Nicole Charles:
Have asked us about it, right.
Renée Charles:
... so we're still thinking about it. Yeah. Maybe Thursday nights or something.
Al Grego:
Yeah.
Renée Charles:
Yeah.
Al Grego:
Were you busy right away?
Nicole Charles:
Yeah. I mean, for the weekends, probably. During the week, no. From Tuesday to Thursday, it was pretty dead. Sunday even, pretty dead. I mean, we knew that that was going to happen, so it was just more about continuing to put ourselves out there. Actually, the people that came here, they're the ones that are taking pictures and-
Renée Charles:
Posting.
Nicole Charles:
"Oh, I went to this amazing restaurant." That's what was fueling other people to come through, so-
Renée Charles:
Especially ByBlacks. They came, and they had a whole... We got an award, right, in 2019?
Nicole Charles:
Yes.
Renée Charles:
Was it in 2019 or 2020?
Nicole Charles:
I think so. I'm not sure.
Renée Charles:
Yeah. They-
Al Grego:
The fact that you can't remember when you got an award-
Nicole Charles:
Yeah.
Al Grego:
You guys are just so used to winning all the awards.
Nicole Charles:
We have a couple from them.
Renée Charles:
Yeah, we got a couple from them.
Nicole Charles:
Which is awesome.
Renée Charles:
Yeah.
Nicole Charles:
Everybody had nice things to say. People just didn't know who we were or where we were, so it was just all about just promoting and marketing and whatnot. So it was well-received, but nobody really knew-
Renée Charles:
Yeah. A lot of people were very thankful. They're like, "Thank you guys for coming here. Thank you. Yeah, thank you."
Nicole Charles:
Yeah, for something a little different.
Renée Charles:
Different, yeah.
Al Grego:
Yeah, I can imagine. I love Greek food.
Nicole Charles:
Yes.
Renée Charles:
Me too. Yes.
Al Grego:
But it would be nice to have a little bit... Yeah, something-
Nicole Charles:
A little something different, yeah.
Renée Charles:
Yeah.
Al Grego:
I did a little bit of research, and I checked out your website, and I really, really admire and appreciate that you basically have all of your employees listed on your site.
Nicole Charles:
Oh my gosh. Yeah.
Al Grego:
Kind of like your company and then, "Here's my staff."
Renée Charles:
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Nicole Charles:
Oh my gosh. Because without-
Renée Charles:
Them, yeah.
Nicole Charles:
... everybody here, we wouldn't be where we are. Each and every one of them have been so dedicated and worked so hard, especially going through this whole pandemic and everything else. And people say it all the time, "Like family." It truly is. It truly is.
Al Grego:
When would you say you hit your stride in terms of being busy enough where you're like, "Oh, this is working, we're actually running a business and it's been successful?"
Nicole Charles:
After the pandemic.
Renée Charles:
After pandemic.
Al Grego:
After the pandemic?
Nicole Charles:
Yeah, after. Before the pandemic, we were still kind of like, "We're over here. Right. Come and visit." We didn't have Uber Eats. We weren't on them because we wanted people to actually come into the restaurant and experience SugarKane. So, yeah, it wasn't until after. Yeah.
Al Grego:
Up next, the Charles sisters, Nicole, Renée, and Donna, realized their dream of opening their own restaurant in 2019, but with little to no experience running a restaurant and less than a year to make a name for themselves in the heart of Greektown before the pandemic hits, will they be able to keep their dream alive? Stay tuned to find out.
You're listening to Yes, We Are Open. If there's one thing that Nicole, Renée, and Donna Charles know how to do, it's cook. Having learned at a young age from both their parents, it seemed inevitable that they would eventually find themselves running a successful catering business from their home. When that wasn't enough, they looked to open their own restaurant with their mother Florence as their investor. It's a true family affair. But will all the familial love and support be enough to survive the biggest threat ever to the restaurant industry? Let's find out.
So let's talk about COVID because you're in an industry that got severely impacted by the pandemic, obviously, with all the shutdowns. Now, my memory is March 13th, Friday the 13th, of 2020-
Renée Charles:
Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah.
Al Grego:
... is when everything shut down.
Nicole Charles:
Mm-hmm.
Al Grego:
Now, that means you guys were in business, what, nine months maybe.
Renée Charles:
About that, yeah.
Nicole Charles:
Yeah. Just nine months, yeah.
Al Grego:
You're trying to grow and trying to make a name and then suddenly, boom, you can't open your doors to anyone.
Nicole Charles:
Exactly.
Al Grego:
How did you feel?
Renée Charles:
Well, we were-
Nicole Charles:
Scared. We were just thinking-
Renée Charles:
Because we just got back from New Orleans on a trip. Exactly the day we got back was when everything shut down.
Nicole Charles:
Right So-
Renée Charles:
So... Go ahead.
Nicole Charles:
We were scared, scared as hell, because, number one, we were thinking, "Okay, we have to shut down. We have to let go of all of our employees. Don't know if we're going to see them again because, really, they could find other things."
Renée Charles:
Well, just before that... Because we tried to get onto the delivery apps and everything, so we tried to make it work and it lasted for about a month, but it just wasn't working. We weren't getting any sales or anything like that. So we suggested, "Let's just shut down."
Nicole Charles:
Just shut down and-
Al Grego:
You didn't have enough of a previous clientele.
Renée Charles:
No. We didn't.
Nicole Charles:
No. Right. Nobody knew that we were even on this or we even existed. So we ended up just saying, "Okay, look, let's just shut down and listen to the news and figure out what the government is going to do to help these businesses." Yeah, those two months crazy that we were there at home-
Renée Charles:
It was crazy.
Nicole Charles:
We're in our pajamas and we're calling each other like, "Guys, what are going to do?" We're crying. It's just because we put so much into the restaurant.
Renée Charles:
Yeah, and just not knowing if we're going to open back up and not knowing if we're going to get our employees back and things like that. So it was very scary.
Nicole Charles:
Right. Exactly.
Florence Charles:
It was tough. That was tough. But I said, "It's not going to last forever, so things will get better and we'll get back better."
Renée Charles:
One of the struggles besides the pandemic that we had when opening the restaurant is that we weren't taken seriously, even when we came to look at this place. There was another guy ahead of us that was looking at it, and they addressed him. They talked to him. They showed him around and everything like that. We're like, "Hey, we're just standing here. What's going on?" So-
Nicole Charles:
No. I can't even believe we forgot about that. Yeah, it was really weird. I mean, the guy came, he gave him the grand tour of the entire restaurant, and we were both standing out there and he barely said hi to us. Then, finally, after he gave him the tour and walked him out, we were like, "Oh." He's like, "Do you want to take a look?" We're like, "Of course," and he's like, "Go ahead." So he didn't give us the tour. We had to tour ourselves. So we went in and looked around, and we were like, "Guys, I think this is going to work here." Then he was like, "Okay, you guys are done. Wrap it up. Okay." And that was it.
Al Grego:
He didn't take you seriously?
Renée Charles:
No.
Nicole Charles:
Oh, no. Not at all. Not at all.
Al Grego:
So did you have that Pretty Woman moment when you came in and said, "We're ready to buy the place."
Nicole Charles:
Pretty much. Yeah, exactly that. No, honestly, we've struggled with that. I mean, I won't say we've struggled, but we've had experiences like that throughout our catering history and whatnot. They see us, and I'm not going to say we look super young, but they think we're all these young chicks that come around doing stuff.
Renée Charles:
Yeah. I've been patted on my head, "Oh, that's so professional," and things like that.
Nicole Charles:
"Oh, you guys are so professional." Yeah. It's-
Al Grego:
Literally patted-
Nicole Charles:
Literally.
Renée Charles:
Literally.
Nicole Charles:
Yeah. It's been crazy. I mean, there's racism. There is sexism. There's a little bit of both. We've experienced it here, unfortunately, at the restaurant as well too. But it just fuels us, thank God. We're just like, "Okay, whatever. Leave it off and just keep going."
Al Grego:
Success is the best payback, right?
Nicole Charles:
It is.
Renée Charles:
Exactly.
Nicole Charles:
100%.
Al Grego:
When were you able to start having business again? Because it was a while... Even after the lockdown ended, there were still restrictions to how many people could be in here.
Renée Charles:
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
Nicole Charles:
Yes, exactly. And then you couldn't even open up to let anybody else come in unless you had specific, what is it, protections inside. So we had to get the Plexiglases and, of course, a sanitizer and everything else. We reopened, and I always remember it being a Wednesday or something like that, right?
Renée Charles:
Well, we reopened because the government was providing subsidies for the employees and for the rent.
Nicole Charles:
Yes. So they were saying, "Okay, that will help us." Yeah.
Renée Charles:
So that's what encouraged us to open. It was sort of like, "Okay, let's try this. Let's try this one more time.
Nicole Charles:
And we ended up reopening. Around that same time, the whole world is looking at the Black Lives Matter movement happening and everything else. I remember I wasn't working that Wednesday.
Renée Charles:
Oh, yeah. It was me working that Wednesday.
Nicole Charles:
Renée and Donna were working, and they... Wednesday is typically... Again, Wednesday is not very busy. They open the doors, and I remember them calling me. They're like, "Nicole, Nicole, it's so busy. Oh my gosh. There's a line down the street." I was like, "Are you kidding?"
Renée Charles:
Because the whole support of the Black businesses-
Nicole Charles:
Restaurants and businesses, yeah.
Renée Charles:
... so people were supporting a lot of Black businesses. That day-
Al Grego:
You're probably one of the few on the street.
Renée Charles:
Right, exactly.
Nicole Charles:
Exactly. Like, "Well, there's one over there."
Renée Charles:
Yeah.
Al Grego:
Wow. Yeah. [inaudible 00:21:37].
Renée Charles:
So it was crazy. It was crazy.
Nicole Charles:
Yeah. I remember you guys calling me and I was like, "Why?
Renée Charles:
So for that whole week, even our chefs were like, "Okay." We had to reorganize-
Nicole Charles:
We had to reorganize everything.
Renée Charles:
... because we were getting yelled at because people were waiting 40 minutes for their stuff and all that stuff.
Nicole Charles:
We weren't expecting any-
Renée Charles:
I know.
Nicole Charles:
Maybe 10 customers for the day or something. I don't know. But, yeah, that was crazy. And, honestly, since that day, the ball was rolling, and we ended up being approached by American Express to do an American Express commercial.
Renée Charles:
A commercial and the billboard on Yonge-Dundas Square.
Nicole Charles:
The billboard. We had our own billboard of us on Yonge-Dundas Square.
Al Grego:
Really? Amazing.
Nicole Charles:
We were on breakfast television, CityLine. It's just been a...
Al Grego:
Well, and now you're on Yes, We Are Open.
Nicole Charles:
Yes, we are.
Renée Charles:
Yes, exactly.
Al Grego:
When were you able to fully open with zero restrictions? When was that, last year, 2022?
Renée Charles:
I think it was last year. Yeah, last year.
Nicole Charles:
Was it last year?
Renée Charles:
Yeah. With no restrictions, everything, last year.
Nicole Charles:
Yeah, that was last year.
Al Grego:
And you said basically you got really busy then because-
Nicole Charles:
Oh, yeah. Yeah. We were busy right off the bat. Yeah. That's when we started noticing our weekends especially because we have the live music and everything else, that being booked up sometimes a week in advance, and it was just getting busier and busier, and there's the lines at the door again and... Yeah, it was awesome. Yeah.
Florence Charles:
They are busy sometimes. I stay here, and I look at people outside trying to get in. They can't get in. No room.
Al Grego:
Yeah. May need a bigger space.
Florence Charles:
A bigger space.
Al Grego:
Now, this street here is pretty famous for Taste of the Danforth, obviously, every year. What is it, in August, right?
Renée Charles:
Yep. Second week.
Nicole Charles:
Yes. August. Yeah.
Al Grego:
The street shuts down and it's a massive street festival-
Nicole Charles:
Yes.
Renée Charles:
Yes.
Al Grego:
... with food and entertainment. I used to love coming down here-
Nicole Charles:
Same here.
Al Grego:
... for that festival. I imagine it probably didn't happen that first year. Did it happen the second?
Renée Charles:
It happened the first year.
Al Grego:
Did it?
Nicole Charles:
Yeah. We-
Renée Charles:
But we had just opened and we were still like... We weren't able to-
Nicole Charles:
That was in 2019.
Renée Charles:
Yeah. Where [inaudible 00:23:47] participating.
Nicole Charles:
Yeah, we had just opened. We had missed the deadline. We didn't even know when the deadline... So when we opened, they came by and they're like, "Look, you are a little bit too late to join now. But you can sell food from out of your window or something."
Al Grego:
Does it stop at Peyton?
Nicole Charles:
No, we're right all the way. Yeah.
Renée Charles:
Yeah. All the way. Yeah.
Nicole Charles:
Because one of the biggest things is over there at Athens.
Renée Charles:
[inaudible 00:24:05] Athens, yeah.
Al Grego:
So it did run in 2020?
Nicole Charles:
No, it didn't. No. That was when... Because after early 2020 is when the pandemic hit, so it was done up until this year.
Renée Charles:
Until now. This year.
Al Grego:
This year was the first year it came back?
Nicole Charles:
Yep. This is the first year it's coming back.
Al Grego:
You guys are looking forward to it, I guess?
Nicole Charles:
Oh my gosh.
Renée Charles:
Yeah. Because it was a disappointment... Sorry.
Nicole Charles:
Yeah. It was such a disappointment when we couldn't have it last year because everybody was expecting for it to happen. The excuses were crazy. All the other festivals-
Renée Charles:
Festivals.
Nicole Charles:
... in the city were going on-
Renée Charles:
Reopened those.
Nicole Charles:
... and reopening, except for Taste of Danforth. So it was a bummer. Yeah, big time.
Al Grego:
I think you guys will do pretty well this year.
Nicole Charles:
Oh, yeah. 100%.
Renée Charles:
Oh, yeah. We're looking forward to it.
Nicole Charles:
This year, we're going big. Yeah, we're going to have some fun. We've been using Moneris for years.
Renée Charles:
Yeah, for years, even with-
Nicole Charles:
Even before.
Renée Charles:
... our old business, we've been using Moneris. I love Moneris. I trust it. Customer service is always on point, so I have no problem with it. So, yeah, that's why we went with Moneris, because we trusted it with our other businesses. Yeah.
Al Grego:
Up next, we find out what the future holds for SugarKane.
Cass McPhee:
Success in business doesn't come without moments of struggle, moments when you had to face your challenges head-on. As the proud partner of Canadian business, Moneris plays a critical role in empowering businesses with the payment processing tools they need to succeed. Together, we are building stronger businesses where business owners everywhere can stand up to their challenges without slowing down. Moneris, proud partner of Canadian business.
Al Grego:
Welcome back to Yes, We Are Open. Nicole, Renée, and Donna Charles have just gone through the biggest challenge to their restaurant SugarKane and live to tell about it. Now, business is booming and reservations are filling up weeks in advance. So what does the future hold for SugarKane? Let's find out.
All right. You guys came out of this pandemic busier than ever, apparently. So that's amazing. And you're looking forward to Taste of the Danforth for the first time in two years. What does the future look like for SugarKane?
Nicole Charles:
Well, we're hoping to have another location. Three would be awesome. We'll settle for another one for now, but we would love to have another location. We can't wait to start our brunch immediately, which is... Everybody's been looking for that, hopefully for Sunday brunches and maybe even expand it to Saturday and Sunday bunches. But, yeah, those are the things that we're looking for, we're excited about.
Al Grego:
Would it be in the city, the other location?
Nicole Charles:
Oh, yeah. It would definitely be in the city, but just maybe West End. Everybody's that comes here, they're like, "Okay, you guys got to come east. Oh, you guys got to come to Brampton. Oh, Niagara Falls." We're like, [inaudible 00:27:01], but, honestly, we're getting a little older. We don't want to be traveling everywhere like crazy.
Renée Charles:
But what I would love to have is a rooftop patio.
Nicole Charles:
Yes.
Renée Charles:
If we can get that, I would love that.
Nicole Charles:
Yes, 100%.
Al Grego:
That'd be pretty cool.
Renée Charles:
Yeah.
Al Grego:
Expansion, franchises. Is that what you're thinking, franchising? What about for you two personally? Nicki, I'll start with you. What do you hope for for your future with SugarKane?
Nicole Charles:
Well, for me, honestly, to be able to not have to come in and bartend and jump in the kitchen all the time and, honestly, to come by and my responsibility would be just talking to the customers and seeing how they're doing. That's the dream. That's the dream. And to get a really, really nice paycheck every week.
Al Grego:
You been able to pay your parents back?
Nicole Charles:
Yeah, it's going to take a little time.
Renée Charles:
It's going to take a little time.
Nicole Charles:
Just a little.
Al Grego:
You're on your way, though. You're on your way. That's amazing. Renée, what about you?
Renée Charles:
Yeah. Also to the franchise. Not to have to be here all the time, just to be able to come in and checking things out. I do the HR stuff and everything, so good to hire someone that can handle that, things like that. So, yeah, just to be a little bit more laid back and watch it grow.
Nicole Charles:
Right.
Renée Charles:
Yeah.
Al Grego:
How do you feel about what your daughters have accomplished here?
Florence Charles:
Oh, I'm so proud of them. I am so proud of them because they all got together and decided this is what they wanted to do. They said, "Mom and Dad used to cook, and they taught us how to cook, so we can carry on a business like that." We used to do it from home. People used to come and pick up food. So when they said they wanted to open the restaurant, I said, "I'm behind you."
Al Grego:
Seeing what you've built here, how do you feel? What does this mean? How does it feel?
Nicole Charles:
Oh my gosh. Sometimes we come in here and... Okay, now I'm tearing up like an idiot. But, no, we come in here sometimes and we're like, "Oh my gosh, you guys." We look at the room, and it's filled, and people are sitting in there eating and they're talking and they're laughing and they're having a good time, and we're like, "I can't believe it... It's so surreal."
Renée Charles:
We would be catering in a room or whatever, and we see a boardroom. We would go in there, and we were pretending that we were the board meeting. We were like, "Charles, Charles, and Charles."
Nicole Charles:
This is-
Renée Charles:
We imagined that we would have a restaurant where it's all these people, all different kinds of people, music, live music-
Nicole Charles:
Just everything that we said that we wanted-
Renée Charles:
... and the vibe and everything, and we got exactly what we prayed for.
Nicole Charles:
Every time we get feedback from people, it means the world, obviously. That's one of my favorite things to do, is to come here and talk to the customers, and they're like, "Oh my God, the vibe in here. It's just so..." And we're like, "This is exactly what we wanted. Exactly that." So, yeah, we're super proud, and we know my dad is shining on us. We feel him here all the time. And my mom, just this morning, she's like, "Your father would be so proud of you guys." Just this morning, she said that.
Al Grego:
Nicki and Renée, is SugarKane open?
Nicole Charles:
Yes, we're open.
Renée Charles:
Yes, we're open.
Al Grego:
That's the story of SugarKane. The restaurant business is a tough business under the best of circumstances, even in the hands of the most experienced owner. The fact that Nicole, Renée, and Donna with their limited experience were able to weather the storm of the pandemic and are now thriving speaks more to their character and the strength of their family dynamic than anything else. The Charles sisters and their mother have such a positive vibe around them. They're quick to laugh, and their positivity and excitement is both authentic and infectious. I suspect it would be impossible to be in a bad mood in their presence, and who wouldn't want to be around that kind of energy? You combine that with some of the most delicious food, and you've got a winner and the reason why I think SugarKane and the Charles family have a bright future. Oh, and by the way, I tried the spiked punch, and let me tell you, it tasted like vacation on a cool and drizzly Saturday evening in Greektown, a taste of a Caribbean island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Confusing, I know, but delicious nonetheless.
Yes, We Are Open is a Moneris podcast production. I'd like to thank Florence, Nicole, Renée, and Donna for taking the time to share their story. You can learn more about SugarKane at sugarkanerestaurant.ca. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @sugarkanerestaurant, and on Twitter they're @sugarkaneto. For more information about this podcast, visit our site, yesweareopenpodcast.com. If you'd like to support us, please write us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're a Canadian small business owner or know of one with an interesting story of perseverance to tell, I'd love to help tell it. You can contact me at podcast@moneris.com. Tune in next week for the season four finale featuring another story of small business struggle and survival on the Yes, We Are Open podcast. I'm Al Grego. Thank you for listening.