The Great Canadian Poutinerie sits in the heart of a kilometre-long commercial stretch of Bank Street in Ottawa’s Centretown. Mustard-yellow crossing signs along its bustling sidewalks match the restaurant’s retro storefront.
A small black sign outside the entrance frames a cartoon of Patrick Morin, who recently went viral online for his General Tso -flavoured poutine — a testament to the eatery’s out-of-the-ordinary array of menu items and the diversity of Centretown’s food scene.
In January, a tourist visiting the poutine joint casually snapped a photo of her meal and posted it on X, unaware of the sudden fame that was about to envelop Morin’s business.
“She woke up the next morning … and the views were already in the hundreds of thousands,” Morin said. “The post was gaining views by the minute.”
Although the post — which had garnered nearly three million views just weeks later — had no actual mention of The Great Canadian Poutinerie, locals quickly identified the eatery. Soon short videos cropped up on Instagram and TikTok with people trying out this twist on General Tso chicken.
“You see something going viral, you want to get your piece of the pie,” said Morin.
Morin took over as The Great Canadian Poutinerie’s third-generation co-owner in the early 2010s, only a few years after social media revolutionized communication and media consumption. At the time social media was, in Morin’s words, still “almost nothing” in the world of marketing.
Today, more than 72 per cent of global online users use social media for brand and product research, a critical shift from traditional to digital marketing.
In Ottawa — where small businesses made up 92.5 per cent of the entire business scene in 2024 — the shift is felt across the sector.
In fact, what was once a negligible part of Morin’s marketing blueprint became an amazing “blessing” for his family-owned business during an otherwise bleak month in the restaurant sector.
The upsurge in digital marketing comes as Canada’s restaurant industry continues to grapple with the repercussions of the pandemic. Agri-Food Analytics Lab Director Sylvain Charlebois wrote in a recent Substack article that the sector has been “operating in a prolonged state of economic stress since 2021.”
The consequent financial challenges — including increased labour, operation and staffing costs — are disproportionately felt by small restaurants.
Despite debates about social media’s controversial place in society, the digital shift has helped keep doors open at local restaurants.
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Morin said the customer’s viral post came during what the restaurant industry calls “floating months” or “break-evens.” The January and February doldrums are particularly slow times for Ottawa’s local economy.
“Breaking even is when you hit that zero mark where … costs are covered through everybody purchasing the items but, at the end of the day, you might not be able to pay yourself as the owner,” said Ottawa Consultants business expert Michael Wood.
Wood said it’s not surprising that post-holiday months see low or no profits for small businesses.
“The climate is a bit colder,” Wood said. “People aren’t going out … like they would in spring, so not spending as much.”
Morin, who went from selling 10 to 30 General Tso poutines to more than 100 a day, said that the timing of the viral post couldn’t have been better.
“[It] completely changed our business overnight,” he said. “February has generated very big losses in the past. The post really came in and blessed us at the best point in time.”
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Just a stone’s throw from Morin’s poutine joint, at the intersection of Bank and Albert, is a Vietnamese coffee shop with a muted, grey-toned storefront occupying space on the ground floor of a 16-storey office tower.
Jenn Nguyen, owner of Ugly Monday, has more than 2,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok despite only opening her business last summer.
“[Social media] has played a huge role in the business. Most people come to the store because they saw us either on TikTok or Instagram,” Nguyen said.
In the weeks leading to opening, Nguyen posted daily videos showcasing the progress of her shop’s development. The videos garnered thousands of clicks, with one reel about her custom coffee cups reaching more than 27,000 views on Instagram.
Technology analyst Carmi Levy said the potential of virality is a major appeal of social media.
“A simple entry that you threw onto your feed in the morning could go global by early afternoon,” Levy said. “The potential for that to happen keeps a lot of small Canadian businesses coming back for more. … You never know when lightning is going to strike.”
However, Levy said clicks aren’t everything.
“There’s something to be said for connecting in some small way with a small local audience even if the numbers aren’t big,” he said. “We all want to go viral. But at the same time … just being part of the conversation in the social media space is so beneficial to a lot of Canadian businesses.”
Levy says successful social media marketing lies not in numbers, but rather in humanity and authenticity.
“Just because you’re using a certain technology doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s a magic bullet if you’re not true to yourself,” said Levy. “It all comes back to who you are and that has nothing to do with technology, (but) everything to do with humanity.”
Localizing global trends
For James and David Choi, co-owners of Sharpfle Waffle — a local café specializing in Korean croissant-waffles — one of the ways that authenticity manifests is through localizing global food cultures without disconnecting from their own brand.
The brand, they say, is all about “creating welcoming spaces where food brings people together.”
Among the café’s newest menu additions is a Dubai chewy cookie, inspired by the decadent, truffle-like dessert that recently went social media-viral in South Korea.
“Since its launch, we’ve seen the cookie sell out early on multiple occasions,” wrote David in an e-mail to Capital Current. “As a local Ottawa food business, our goal is to bring some of the most interesting and thoughtful food ideas from around the world and adapt them for local tastes.”
James said social media’s role in their business has evolved since opening their original location in Wellington West in 2021.
“In the early days, it functioned more like a digital billboard,” James wrote in an e-mail. “[It was] a place where we shared our opening hours, menu updates. … It was largely informational.”
Today, Sharpfle Waffle has two locations — in Mechanicsville and ByWard Market — and social media, the Choi brothers say, has become less about promotion and more about storytelling.
James calls it “a space where we express our cultural identity, showcase our understanding of food and bring like-minded people together.
David added that these online platforms help them to bring trending global foods to Canada’s capital: “Social media plays an important role in that process, helping us gauge that interest and share the story behind our food.”
Restaurants Canada research analyst Sara Hamdy said the industry association has seen an upward trend when it comes to the the impact of social media on consumer behaviour.
“They are using Instagram and TikTok to find new restaurants,” Hamdy said. “So it’s not just a way for restaurants to promote themselves. It’s also a way for consumers to find these restaurants.”
Although a lot of these changes are being led by Gen Z-ers, Hamdy said they’re seeing this consumer trend “across the board.”
It’s very important for restaurants to have that online presence to attract customers.
Sara Hamdy, Restaurants Canada
“We do see it focused on the younger generation, but even up to 40 per cent of baby boomers are also doing so,” said Hamdy.
According to Hamdy, six in 10 Canadians use online reviews before visiting new food spots.
“It’s very important for restaurants to have that online presence to attract customers,” she said.
Nasr Nasr, founder of Juice Dudez, is another local owner who has put global food trends on Ottawa’s plate. Nasr said he feels “incredibly blessed” that he opened a business in the era of social media.
“It just makes it so much easier to broadcast [and] get the message out there.”
Nasr said the main way Juice Dudez uses social media is showing customers “who they are” as a business.
Juice Dudez has four locations — Westboro, ByWard Market, Orleans and Alta Vista — and the menus feature unique juices, smoothies, coffees and desserts. The business started selling Dubai chocolate bars last year, following the pistachio- and knafeh-filled dessert trend that flooded social media feeds last summer.
Nasr said customer feedback towards viral, trend-inspired menu items is always positive.
“They love it,” Nasr said. “They see stuff that’s happening in Dubai or other places in the world. … Then they get to try it here at home.”
“I think that’s very pleasant for most [of] our foodies.”
Resisting a ‘cookie-cutter’ society
Small business owners aren’t the only ones at play in Ottawa’s local food scene. Social media influencers are accelerating the digital shift.
Revello Williamson, an Ottawa-based food content creator with almost 24,000 followers on his Instagram page, said his platform came out of his interest in creativity and exploration.
Williamson was previously based in the Bahamas and then in P.E.I. About two years after moving to Ottawa, he started posting video reviews of food from different local restaurants. He said social media was a way to fulfill a “promise” to himself to explore Ottawa’s diverse food scene.
Williamson said he often discovers the restaurants he reviews through his own use of social media.
“At the end of the day, you’re chilling in bed … scrolling on your phone [and] you see an interesting food place,” he said. “I try to look for those unique things, stuff that’s very unique to Ottawa that people think we don’t have, that needs a little more light shone on.”
Williamson said supporting Ottawa’s food businesses is important to uphold the “warmth” and uniqueness of the capital.
“Without supporting these people or these businesses, you end up getting into an almost cookie-cutter environment,” said Williamson. “Small businesses have a lot more flexibility to do what they want. When they see the support, they feel more inclined to do unique things.”
Williamson is a community ambassador for the Centretown Business Improvement Area (BIA).
He appears in energetic videos that are posted on the Centretown BIA’s Instagram and TikTok accounts.
“It’s just showing off what’s there, bringing light to the area [and] really working with the BIA to come up with new initiatives,” Williamson said. “I think when restaurants come in, they feel the support.”
Stephanie Wawrzynczak, the Centretown BIA’s marketing and creative director, said social media is more than just posting.
“It’s storytelling, relationship-building and brand stewardship,” Wawrzynczak wrote in an e-mail.
“We lean heavily into video profiles with b-roll, street energy and human stories because that reflects who we are: layered, expressive and proudly local.”
On the corner of Bank and Lisgar streets there’s a giant comic book-looking mural with “CENTRETOWN” plastered across it in bold orange letters, starkly contrasting the dark grey street, but working hand-in-hand with the neighbourhood’s vibrant identity.
Wawrzynczak said the idea for Centretown ambassadors grew from the “simple truth” that “people connect with people more than institutions.”
“Rather than marketing Centretown from a distance, we wanted representation on the ground,” she said.
Wawrzynczak said social media plays a vital role in marketing the area.
“For many people, social media is the first touchpoint,” Wawrzynczak said. “It’s how they find a new brunch spot, learn about a pop-up market or a new business that’s opened. We’re not just promoting businesses, we’re shaping perception.”
For Wawrzynczak, small food businesses in particular are the “heartbeat of Centretown.”
“They bring culture and identity to blocks that might otherwise feel transactional,” she said. “Supporting them isn’t just economic, it’s cultural. From a marketing perspective, food is often the entry point.”
More than marketing
While social media has become quintessential for small business marketing, it has simultaneously evolved into a cornerstone for connection and community.
Wood says everything boils down to one key idea: “If you support the community, the community will support you.”
“This is, in a lot of cases, somebody’s dream,” Wood said. “They have this dream to start this business. Let’s support that.”
Nguyen, whose “dream from the beginning” was to have a business, said the tight-knit community of local food business owners is what she enjoys most.
“I feel like we all support each other,” she said. “We don’t consider ourselves as competitors.”
At the end of the day, we’re all human, we all want to be connected, we all want to live more meaningful lives. Social media has a role to play in that.
Technology analyst Carmi Levy
James Choi said social media is one of the “most important channels” for the business to connect with the wider community.
“Through these platforms, we collaborate with local food creators, businesses, organizations and individual guests in ways that wouldn’t have been possible before,” he said. “What we truly believe in is genuine connection.”
For Levy, social media offers an opportunity for “positive interaction, successful businesses and strong community-building.”
“At the end of the day, we’re all human, we all want to be connected, we all want to live more meaningful lives,” Levy said.
“Social media has a role to play in that.”
