Our Story

One griddle.
One rule.

CHAR started in a 400-square-foot kitchen on Queen Street West in 2021. Two friends, one cast iron griddle, and one rule: never compromise the beef. Three locations later, the rule still stands.

Inside a CHAR location — warm lighting, dark industrial interior, open kitchen
How We Got Here

From one griddle to three locations.

Marcus and Ray met working the line at a downtown Toronto kitchen in 2018. They shared a frustration: Toronto had great food everywhere — except a truly great smash burger. The kind you'd find in a converted diner in Austin or a walk-up counter in Brooklyn. Nothing that prioritised the beef above everything else.

In 2021, they signed a lease on a narrow Queen West space and opened CHAR with six items on the menu and a 48-hour marination process for their house sauces. The first weekend, they sold out before 3pm. The second weekend, they ran out again. By month three, the lineup was out the door.

Kensington opened in 2022. Leslieville in 2023. The menu has grown — but the beef is still ground in-house every morning, and the griddle temperature is still exactly 450 degrees, not one degree less.

"Toronto had great food everywhere — except a truly great smash burger."

The CHAR kitchen — cast iron griddle in use during a busy service
What We Stand For

Three non-negotiables

Every decision we make traces back to these. If an idea doesn't serve at least one of them, we don't do it.

The beef is everything

80/20 Ontario beef blend, sourced from farms within 200km. Ground in-house every morning. Never frozen, never pre-formed. We would rather close early than compromise this.

Temperature or nothing

The griddle runs at 450° every service. Not 400. Not 420. Four-fifty. That's the number where the Maillard reaction produces the crust that makes a smash burger a smash burger.

No shortcuts on sauce

All six CHAR sauces are made in-house every morning. No commercial bases, no concentrate. If a sauce requires a 24-hour process, it gets a 24-hour process. This is not negotiable.

Ready to try it?

Three locations. Open seven days a week. No reservations needed.

Find a Location See the Menu