In business, as in life, timing is everything.
Yannick Bigurdan, one of Toronto's most influential restaurateurs, seems to have a knack for picking the wrong time, despite his apparent success.
His first restaurant, Splendido, opened on September 11, 2001.
His second bank, Nota Bene, opened just days before Lehman Brothers collapsed in the 2008 financial crisis.
And then there's COVID. Just months before the pandemic shut down the world, he opened three restaurants.
Most recently, his first French restaurant, Lucie, as well as The Social Catering & Co. opened in 2023, just as inflation and rising interest rates reared their ugly heads.
“I thought the world was against me,” says the 51-year-old. “Now that I’m a little wiser, I know it’s just the ups and downs of running a business.”
Bigurdan grew up in an apartment above a small grocery store owned by his parents in Bagnères-de-Luchon, a French ski resort near the Spanish border.
Although he aspired to follow in the footsteps of his parents, grandparents, and great-grandfather, his culinary dreams were too big for the tiny town.
After two years working in the hospitality industry in Spain, Ireland and Germany, Bigourdan attended the École hôtelière de Lausanne, a prestigious hotel management school in Switzerland.
After graduating, he took a job at the Regent Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons resort in Beverly Hills. Two years later, he received a promotion along with a transfer to the brand's Yorkville office.
Bigurdan admits he wouldn't stay in Toronto long if he had not met his future wife – although he also fell in love with the city.
“When I first arrived, people still had the feeling that we weren’t good enough,” he says. “I’ve seen the city mature.”
As the restaurateur behind some of the city's most iconic establishments—Carbon Bar, The Berczy Tavern, Amano Trattoria, Michelin-recommended Lucy—Bigourdan was more than just a passive observer of Toronto coming of age.
This summer, Yannick unveiled his latest attraction, taking over an event space on the corner of King and Spadina streets—Block 460—adjacent to Carbon Snack Bar, a new street-level store offering coffee, salads, sandwiches, Craig's cookies and classic Carbon Bar dishes.
As you might expect, this venture began just as tariffs went into effect in the United States.
The Star sat down with Bigurdan on the patio at Carbon Eatery to talk about his latest venture, the maturity of Toronto's food scene and how hard work can overcome bad timing.
Did you always plan to go into the family business?
It wasn't until I was 14 or 15 that I saw a documentary about a very fancy hotel school in Switzerland called Lausanne. They showed managers of the best hotels and restaurants in the world, telling them that it all started in Lausanne, and there I saw myself.
When I was considering applying, they recommended working in the industry first, so after finishing school I spent two years traveling around Germany, Ireland and Spain to learn the language and work in the hospitality industry.
I finally got there and it was an incredible experience.
How did you end up in Los Angeles?
About four or five months before I graduated in 1997, I went to Los Angeles for a short retreat and brought copies of my resume and a suit.
I went to the Four Seasons, introduced myself at the front desk and said I wanted to talk to someone about a job. They said, “We're not meeting anyone today,” but I said I came from Switzerland and was leaving tomorrow, so they introduced me to the CEO.
It turns out that the general manager also graduated from Lausanne and offered me a job.
What was it like serving Hollywood royalty?
I worked there for three years and eventually became the manager of the cafeteria, which is now Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. Every Friday and Saturday they had ballroom dancing and all the old Hollywood celebrities would come.
I served Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Larry King, Nancy Reagan and many others. I had to learn the names of American athletes. One day Terry Bradshaw came and asked for a table and I told him he needed a reservation. I had no idea who he was.
Why did you move to Toronto?
I was offered a promotion in Toronto, and when they said “Canada,” I thought of the Rockies, which reminded me of home.
I also thought it would be beneficial for my career to be close to the head office. I didn't really do any research, I just asked, “When will I leave?” I tend to worry and make important decisions too quickly.
Were you disappointed that you didn't see the mountains?
I hated my first year in Toronto. It took me a while to understand the culture and what makes Canada great. Then I fell in love with my now wife Chris and began to understand and appreciate Canadians and fell in love with the city.
Have you always wanted to open your own restaurant?
I come from a very entrepreneurial family, and when entrepreneurship is in your DNA, it's hard to work for other people.
Four Seasons was the best company to start a career in hospitality, but over time you start to think about how you could do things differently. I then had the opportunity to head up Splendido under Chef David Lee.
I left a great job, invested all my savings into the restaurant, then borrowed more, spent several months renovating, and finally opened on September 11, 2001.
Of course, many people died that day and the world was never the same. It was difficult personally, and even more difficult when I was 26 years old and had just opened my first business. Three years later we were winning awards and being considered one of the best in Canada.
I then opened Nota Bene in 2008, just a few months before the financial crisis. It seems like every time I open a restaurant, something terrible happens in the world.
How to overcome this feeling?
This is simply the reality of doing business. You have some very good days and some very bad days. Events happen outside of your control and you just have to deal with it.
In the end, Nota Bene was a huge success due to the financial crisis. We had a great place in the city center, with elegant decor, but at a very reasonable price. So, in a world where people are spending less money, Notta Bene has proven to be a winning formula.
Why would a French native living in Canada open a Southern-style barbecue restaurant?
Allied Properties Chairman Michael Emory was having lunch at Nota Bene one day and asked me if I had seen their space at 99 Queen East. It was a beautiful building with a lot of history, and we started dreaming about what we could do there.
At that time, barbecue began to interest many chefs. There was a lot of talk about what was happening in Texas, so we went there and got inspired. Again, I tend to make quick decisions, which has bitten me a few times, but I felt like Toronto was underserved in terms of BBQ.
How have all your restaurants survived COVID?
Three months before COVID hit, we opened three restaurants and had to temporarily close them all and lay off most of our staff. It was hard.
I have downgraded my home several times to refinance my restaurants. I was very bitter at first, but eventually I accepted it.
How did you move on?
I just woke up one morning and decided I needed to rebuild my business and my confidence because both were so low. At that point, everything I worked on was successful, and I had to work really hard to prove to myself that I could be successful again.
Two years ago I opened Lucie, I launched a catering company called The Social Catering, I launched an e-commerce company called Shop the Carbon Bar and of course I opened this space, the Carbon Snack Bar and event space.
Lucy was named after my grandmother, who took care of me while my parents worked. She died during COVID and I didn't get a chance to say goodbye.
This was my return to the fine dining scene and it was the most emotionally, financially and personally challenging experience of my life. On opening day, I cried all the way home.
But the world didn't collapse?
Not like before, but I didn't have partners, I put all my money into it, and then suddenly there's high interest, inflation, and now tariffs, so there's a few more curveballs.
Why expand the Carbon Bar brand in this location?
I've always dreamed of doing a pop-up called The Carbon Snack Bar, so when we found this place I looked at retail and it just made sense.
Does Toronto have its own culinary identity?
Toronto is an important culinary city because of its diverse talent; I'm not sure if they've created a distinct Toronto style, but Toronto is relatively young in its culinary scene and we're already known for that talent.
Would you do it again, despite the difficulties?
I would just tell myself that something will go wrong, some will be my responsibility, some I won't, and you'll just have to accept it.
I try to teach my children the same thing, but I can't tell you that. You have to go through it yourself and accept those very bad days.
