Lick's Homeburgers

Lick's Homeburgers & Ice Cream was a Canadian restaurant chain. Only two restaurants continue to use the name Licks (in Toronto and Parry Sound) but they are unrelated and serve different menus. The company continues to sell frozen food. It is owned by Lick's Concepts, Inc., a private company. The first Lick's opened in 1980, operated by Denise Meehan, who then turned the concept into a franchise in 1984. At its height in 2012, the chain had 30 locations, all in Ontario.

Lick's
TypePrivately Owned
IndustryRestaurants
FoundedQueen Street East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1980 (1980)
Headquarters
Canada
ProductsFast food (including hamburgers, veggie burgers, french fries, poutine, onion rings, chili, ice cream, and more...)
WebsiteWebsite of Toronto location

Lick's was formerly known for its meatloaf-style hamburgers, nicknamed "homeburgers", which were considered higher quality than those of other fast food chains. The chain also had what was described as a "zany in-store experience", with employees singing pop songs, sometimes with modified lyrics, while they cooked burgers and fries.[1] Both concepts were abandoned in the 2000s, as the company switched to a more generic brand identity as well as the use of frozen instead of fresh hamburger patties.[2]

History

Denise Meehan, a native of Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, grew up in a tourist resort operated by her parents.[3] Meehan, the president and sole shareholder, founded the chain in 1980 with a $5,000 loan. Meehan opened her first Lick's location store on Queen Street East in Toronto in 1980. The second store opened at 2383 Kingston Rd in Scarborough several years later. (Both these locations are now defunct.) From 1984 through 2009, the business expanded to several cities in the province of Ontario as the Lick's name and menu became available for franchise. At its zenith in 2012, there were over 30 Lick's locations throughout southern Ontario. In addition, major Ontario supermarket chains also carried frozen Lick's hamburger patties.[2]

In 2002, Meehan was named to the Sales Hall of Fame by the Canadian Professional Sales Association.[4][5] Meehan was profiled by Hilary magazine in 2008.[6]

Lick's began to encounter difficulty in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, partly because of the recession's effect on consumer habits shifting away from sit-down eateries to takeout.[7] As well, the proliferation of gourmet burger chains such as The Burger's Priest and The Works eroded Lick's market share.[8]

There was a wave of closings of Toronto-area Lick's franchises in 2012 and 2013, including the closing of the original location.[9][10][11][1] By April 2017, the chain had two stores left: Kingston Road at Morningside Crossing in Toronto, and one in Parry Sound,. Another location opened in Toronto in 2017, but the Morningside Crossing location closed in 2019, again leaving two stores.

As of 2020, there was one remaining restaurant at 900 Warden Avenue in Toronto.[12] The online frozen burger business continues.

References
  1. "With Lick's taking a licking, some wonder how much longer the Homeburger chain will last". Toronto Star. September 26, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  2. "Lick's | Tasty Burgers". Tastyburgers.ca. 2013-11-27. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  3. Riccio, Heather. "Interview with Denise Meehan, Founder of Licks. Denise Meehan talks about the inspiration for her successful company". Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  4. Canadian Professional Sales Association – Sales Hall of Fame – Denise Meehan Archived 2009-07-31 at the Wayback Machine
  5. K-tel International Chairman & CEO Philip Kives Inducted Into Canadian Professional Sales Association "Sales Hall of Fame". K-tel press release, Nov. 19, 2002
  6. Riccio, Heather. "Interview with Denise Meehan, Founder of Licks. Denise Meehan talks about the inspiration for her successful company". Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  7. "Lick's franchisees left fuming as restaurant suddenly closed | Metro Toronto". Metronews.ca. 2013-06-28. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  9. Mercury Staff (2013-11-25). "Lick's outlet in south end closed by landlord". Retrieved 2016-06-11.
  10. "Closure of Lick's locations raises questions - Toronto - CBC News". Cbc.ca. 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  11. "Lick's franchisees left fuming as restaurant suddenly closed". Toronto Star. June 27, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  12. https://www.licks-homeburgers.com
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