2 days ago
G Burger says farewell to Elgin Street before moving to new location
When Nader Salib originally put pen to paper for his Elgin Street lease, he had no idea that the space would one day become home to Gitanes Burger.
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Born out of the COVID-19 pandemic as a pop-up, sister-restaurant to Gitanes, the eatery colloquially known as G Burger became a permanent spot by 2022.
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'I think that period of time changed a lot in people's lives, and I was just more excited about the burger concept,' Salib said.
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After 10 years spent on Elgin Street, Salib is ready to establish G Burger's new home on Wellington Street West, which he is hopeful will open by the end of August. June 20 is the eatery's final day on Elgin Street.
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'When we originally signed the lease, it wasn't for a burger concept,' Salib said. 'The concept came about during COVID when we started doing takeout out of Gitanes, and we didn't want to do fine dining food for takeout. We thought we'd do burgers and it really took off.
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'The concept doesn't warrant that big space that's there, it just doesn't help it thrive. If anything, I think it holds it back a little bit.'
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It's 'super sad' to leave, Salib says, especially for the staff who have grown familiar with the Elgin Street location. Some staff who are now approaching 30 years old have worked in the same space since they were teenagers.
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'We built a lot of memories there,' Salib said. 'The laughs we've had together and stories we shared together.… There's just too many to count.
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'I think all of us are kind of sad to move on, but for me personally, I was ready for a change.'
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The Wellington Street location that G Burger will soon inhabit once belonged to the iconic John's Diner, which closed last April.
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It's 'very flattering' to take over such a well-known location, according to Salib, who says the move is 'surreal' despite the pressure.
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'It's definitely big shoes to fill,' he said. 'I think the scariest thought was, 'Are people gonna come in and expect John's from G Burger? Are they going to come in and expect us to be doing the same things?'
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'Can we really be ourselves and thrive in that space?'
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Regardless, Salib says he's 'super excited' to be in the Wellington Village neighbourhood, one of Ottawa's few areas that 'G Burger can see itself in' — the Glebe and Old Ottawa South being future potential expansions.
