The chain developed by DAVIDsTEA founder David Segal introduces Luisa’s Burritos & Bowls and Revival Pizza, combining the best elements of a ghost kitchen with the functionality of a customer-facing restaurant

Canadian entrepreneur David Segal is no stranger to tough business challenges – after all, he spent the first part of his career growing specialty tea brand DAVIDsTEA from a single store in Toronto to an international retail juggernaut. But nothing could have prepared him for being a restaurant owner during a global pandemic.

Mad Radish, the healthy fast food chain Segal launched after leaving DAVIDsTEA, was forced to temporarily shutter four of its six locations in March of this year, and it was immediately clear to Segal that the survival of his business would depend on his ability to reimagine Mad Radish – and not just for the short term. The promise of Mad Radish wouldn’t change: bringing a gourmet fast food experience to time-strapped Canadians. But the execution of that promise would have to.

And so today, Segal is officially announcing the expansion of the Mad Radish brand into a family of gourmet fast food offerings with the launch of Luisa’s Burritos & Bowls and Revival Pizza. The new structure will combine the best elements of a typical ‘ghost kitchen’ – a professional kitchen used to prepare delivery-only meals – with the functionality of a customer-facing restaurant, with all three offerings available for order in-store at select Mad Radish locations, and for home delivery across Toronto and Ottawa.

“There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated significant shifts in consumer expectations and consumer behaviour. And we, as a restaurant industry, need to adapt,” says Segal. “Canadians have become accustomed to getting what they want – when, where and how they want it – whether it’s delivered to your door, for contactless pick-up or in-store. We have to evolve our business to meet these changing expectations. We will still offer a great in-restaurant experience – because people will come back to restaurants – but we will also provide an equally great experience wherever you choose to eat.”

Luisa’s Burritos & Bowls offers hand-crafted burritos made with fresh, internationally-inspired ingredients and big, bold flavour, while Revival Pizza puts a modern and creative twist on the ultimate comfort food.

As of today, Luisa’s Burritos & Bowls is available at all Mad Radish locations in Toronto and Ottawa. Revival Pizza is available in-store at Albert & Metcalfe and for delivery across Ottawa – with a launch planned for Toronto in early November at the Yonge & Eglinton store. The brands have stand-alone storefronts on UberEats, but Segal sees the biggest opportunity in the company’s own app, which now offers all three menus for contactless pick-up in a single order, and will begin offering multi-brand delivery in the coming weeks.

“We’ve built the menus at Mad Radish, Luisa’s and Revival to be made-to-order and built-to-travel. Everything from the ingredients we’ve chosen to the way they’re assembled and packaged has been carefully considered,” Segal continues. “Throwing a meal designed to be eaten at a restaurant into a box and sending it on a 20-minute bike ride isn’t going to work anymore.”

A few of Segal’s favourites from across the three menus include:

  • Luisa’s Flaming Batata Burrito: Not your average burrito, the flavour-packed Flaming Batata includes savoury sweet potato, housemade guacamole, cilantro roasted corn, black beans, brown rice, kale, romaine, crunchy tortilla strips, hot sauce, sour cream, and tangy Mexican Caesar dressing.
  • Mad Radish’s Piri Piri Chicken: This Portuguese chicken dish with its roots in Angola and Mozambique is spicy, smokey and savoury, with marinated piri-piri chicken, roasted sweet potatoes and pickled Peppadew peppers.
  • Revival’s Hen of the Woods. A mushroom lover’s dream: Maitake and hon shimeji mushrooms on a bed of white sauce and drizzled with truffle oil.

For more information on the three brands, please visit:

www.madradish.com / @eatmadradish
www.luisas.ca / @luisasburritos
www.revivalpizza.com / @revival.pizza