David Segal is on a mission to change the way Canadians eat – and now he’s bringing that mission to Toronto. Mad Radish, the chain of salad shops Segal launched in Ottawa last summer, is expanding outside of that city for the first time today as Mad Radish opens its doors at 2293 Yonge Street in Toronto, just steps north of Eglinton. Designed by Ottawa-based residential interior design firm O’Keefe Fiorenza Design Group, the new space introduces the popular chain to Canada’s largest city.
Mad Radish – which now has three locations in the Ottawa area – offers an ingredient-focused and chef-driven menu of fresh salads, seasonal warm bowls and healthy snacks, sides and desserts.
“If we’re going to change the way we eat, we have to change what we crave,” says Segal, who left DAVIDsTEA in 2016 to pursue his vision for Mad Radish. “Eating healthy food shouldn’t feel like taking your medicine – and getting access to a high-quality, great tasting, nutritious meal shouldn’t be a burden for busy Canadians. That’s why we created Mad Radish, and that’s why we’re so passionate about bringing Mad Radish to more and more cities.”
Menu items such as the Smoky Caesar (a smoky twist on a classic Caesar made with smoked mushrooms, garlicky chickpeas, salty capers and savoury cashew “parmesan”) and the Fired Up Chicken (chicken braised in hot sauce, tossed with brown basmati, roasted sweet potatoes, spicy broccoli, pickled radishes and crunchy corn nuts) have become cult favourites in Ottawa and will also be featured on the menu at the Toronto location.
As with the three Ottawa locations, lunch and dinner options will be available, to be enjoyed on-site or taken to go. A Mad Radish app, and online ordering at madradish.com, enable pre-orders for faster service. The Toronto location will also – like its Ottawa counterparts – be “cashless and trashless.” All Mad Radish packaging is 100% compostable.
The restaurant chain also invests back into the communities in which it operates. Through a partnership with Community Food Centres Canada, one serving of fresh produce is donated to a local community food centre – in Toronto, the Regent Park Community Food Centre – every time an order is placed through the Mad Radish app or website.
O’Keefe Fiorenza Design Group is an Ottawa-based, multi-disciplinary design firm specializing in custom residential design.