Toronto's newest ghost kitchen is from the chef behind a long-shuttered seafood chain
Lobster rolls, freshly-shucked oysters and clam chowders are on the menu at Toronto's newest seafood spot.
COAST, which launched on October 1, isn't really a restaurant, it's a business operating out of the ghost kitchen at Pearl Diver.
It's also run by a familiar seafoodie: Matt Dean Pettit, of what used to be one of the city's favourite shellfish staples.
Rock Lobster closed down its last remaining location in 2016, but the pop up-turned-permanent space on Ossington was a heavy hitter for the few years it existed, expanding into a multi-store brand.
According to Pettit, his new project carries a number of the old Rock Lobster favourites — most importantly, the signature lobster roll and the lobster poutine, with Atlantic Canadian crustaceans.
"It’s been years since we closed the doors on Rock Lobster and that was a great experience and my first real business venture and partnership," says Pettit.
"I’m still amazed and touched by how many people lovingly recall their dining experience at Rock Lobster and still crave our signature favourites."
COAST is operating as delivery only: you can find the menu on UberEats, SkipTheDishes, and DoorDash. Even their lobster Bloody Caesar can be purchased as a build-at-home kit.
Pettit calls the concept a "virtual dining brand." Restaurants can tack on Coast's offerings to an existing menu to increase revenue.
He's also doing fish sandos, Nashville hot shrimp sandwiches, and jumping on the growing citywide trend of smash burgers. Pettit's version is the Donny's Smash, named after his old school burger-loving dad.
COAST is open for delivery from Tuesday to Sunday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily, or until menu items are sold out. For every order over $40, a meal will be donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank.
COAST
