Remembering Jawny Bakers: Marketing Lessons from an East York Favourite

January 13, 2026

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Since Jawny Bakers opened, it has been part of my life.

I’ve been going there with friends for as long as I can remember. Located in East York at O’Connor and St. Clair, it was five minutes from where I grew up and later five minutes in the other direction from where I live now.

For decades, it was a stable, go-to family restaurant for my friends, my parents, and eventually my wife and me.

Jawny Bakers recently closed. The reasons were never revealed, and this isn’t about assigning blame. It’s about looking at the business from a marketing perspective—what they did exceptionally well, and what changed over time.

A quick look online shows over 1,100 reviews. Reading through a few brought back memories of just how consistent the experience used to be. One review near the top mentions warm welcomes, accommodating staff, a private dining room for celebrations, attentive service, and an atmosphere that made people want to stay. That wasn’t rare. That was normal.

For a restaurant to survive for 30 years and build that level of loyalty, something was clearly working.

The food was a big part of it.

In the mid-90s and into the 2000s, we loved their chicken wings. And no, a chicken wing is not just a chicken wing. They were good-sized and paired with incredible sauces. I once asked a waitress about them and found out the chef made the sauces himself. That was it. My friends and I became regulars—wings and fries for us, wings and veggies for my dad.

Later, the fries became sweet potato fries with an amazing chipotle mayo that my wife loved. Mm mm.

They also had decent steaks—big ones. Their pizza wasn’t what they were known for, but wow, it was good. Great burgers. Decent desserts. The menu worked.

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But what truly set Jawny Bakers apart was something much simpler. Every year, right before my birthday, I received a postcard in the mail. It said lunch was on them—up to $12 off—for my birthday.

No restaurant had ever done that before. And none have since.

That postcard triggered a ritual. I’d call my high school friends, invite my parents, and show up with a table of ten people every year. One postcard turned into a full restaurant table annually.

That’s not luck—that’s smart, personal marketing.

The service and atmosphere backed it all up. The staff were always polite and service-oriented. The environment was relaxed and family-focused—one of those places where you forget about everything else for a few hours and just enjoy the food.

We even hosted a surprise birthday party there six years ago, using their private room. Why did we choose Jawny Bakers? Easy. Close by, great service, great food. No stress.

They also used to ask for feedback. A small survey card after the meal. I always respected that and still believe every restaurant should do it.

Their promotions were consistent: big signage outside, birthday postcards, and later a social media presence.

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But over time, things changed.

The wings got smaller. We noticed.

The homemade sauces disappeared and were replaced with standard, stock sauces. I asked what happened and was told the cook who made them had left. For regulars, that was a big change

The steaks stayed, but prices kept rising with inflation. The pizzas—one of my favourites—were removed from the menu completely. The burgers seemed to shrink too, while prices everywhere climbed (for some reason 🙃).

And then the biggest change of all: the birthday postcards stopped. I asked why and was told it was too hard to keep track of birthdays and get the mail out on time. Boo. Along with that, the after-meal survey cards disappeared too.

Jawny Bakers stayed busy for years. They had their clientele and probably felt they could afford these changes. But longtime customers—people like me, my family, and my friends—noticed. I stopped going there for my birthday. We went less often, mostly to reminisce.

That’s where the lesson is.

Don’t drop successful actions. Especially the ones customers emotionally connect with. Give more than expected. These days, I expect small wings wherever I go. My wife calls it “shrinkflation.” Do the opposite. Give me bigger wings and a better story. I’m Greek after all—I notice these things.

Promote consistently. Maintain great service and atmosphere. Ask for feedback and deal with issues immediately. And if you acknowledge something personal—like a birthday—understand the ripple effect it creates.

For years, we loved going to Jawny Bakers. We’re grateful for the memories, the meals, and the role it played in our lives for three decades. It will be missed.