Lick's Homeburgers & Ice Cream was a Canadian

restaurant chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories in many pa ...

, 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 Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. Only one restaurant, in Parry Sound, continues to use the name Lick's. The company continues to sell frozen food. Lick's was formerly known for its

hamburger A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...

s, 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. 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.

History

Denise Meehan, a native of

Sturgeon Falls, Ontario Sturgeon Falls is a community and former town in Nipissing District, Ontario, located on the Sturgeon River (Lake Nipissing), Sturgeon River. The community had a population of 6,939 at the 2021 Canadian census, 2021 census and a density of 1,129/ ...

, grew up in a tourist resort operated by her parents. 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 Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

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. In 2002, Meehan was named to the Sales Hall of Fame by the Canadian Professional Sales Association. Meehan was profiled by ''Hilary'' magazine in 2008. Lick's began to encounter difficulty in the aftermath of the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

, partly because of the recession's effect on consumer habits shifting away from sit-down eateries to takeout. As well, the proliferation of gourmet burger chains such as The Burger's Priest and The Works eroded Lick's market share. There was a wave of closings of Toronto-area Lick's franchises in 2012 and 2013, including the closing of the original location. By April 2017, the chain had two stores left: one in Toronto and one in Parry Sound. In July 2021, the last remaining restaurant in Toronto, at 900 Warden Avenue, ceased being a franchisee and was renamed Andy's Artisan Burgers (now also closed), leaving one remaining Lick's restaurant in Parry Sound, Ontario. The online frozen burger business continues.

References

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External links

Official website
Fast-food chains of Canada Restaurants in Toronto Fast-food hamburger restaurants