MILESTONES ALONG THE WAY Smitty’s history is marked by achievements that speak to both resilience and relevance. “There have been many over the 65 years, from our first franchise location to many multi unit owner/ operator Franchise Partners across Canada,” Kaytor says. “Celebrating 65 years in 2025 has got to be the biggest milestone making us one of Canada’s longest running family chains in Canada and still going strong.” Few restaurant concepts maintain such longevity. The ability to evolve while retaining customer loyalty has been central to Smitty’s staying power. ADAPTING TO SHIFTS IN THE INDUSTRY Change in consumer habits, technology, and foodservice delivery has shaped the brand over decades. The global pandemic in particular accelerated the need for transformation. Kaytor explains, “The global pandemic in 2020 forced everyone in the small business and especially the Restaurant industry to change and change rapidly. At Smitty’s we took this opportunity to update some of our technology with an online training portal, cloud based POS and embraced a full loyalty program to name a few. Additionally, we started to focus on all three-day parts and invest in both our 86 NOV 2025 | BUSINESS ELITE CANADA
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