The history of the Lick's Homeburgers restaurants in Toronto

If you've lived in Toronto long enough, you probably remember Lick's Homeburgers, not just for the burgers, but for the singing staff and that unmistakable "Guk" sauce.

In a city that's now overrun with burger chains, it's easy to forget that Lick's was once a homegrown institution with more than two dozen locations across Ontario, and a place where ordering a burger almost always came with a spontaneous and probably off-key rendition of a pop song.

Lick's began with a single location in 1980, when founder Denise Meehan opened the first restaurant on Queen Street East. With a few decades in the hospitality business under her belt, Meehan decided to use a $5,000 loan to open up the restaurant, with the aim to serve food that was fresh and easy on the wallet.

Photo: Lick's.

For the first few months of the business, the restaurant was operated by Meehan and one part-time employee. The founder worked tirelessly from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. on most days to make sure that customers kept coming back.

The centrepiece of the menu was the Homeburger, a six-ounce patty made from lean, all-natural, pasteurized Canadian beef, blended with spices and served on a fresh bun with grated old cheddar, banana peppers, and that signature Guk sauce (a tangy spread that became something of a legend in its own right).

Over time, the menu expanded to include items like the Nature Burger (a meatless option), the Globber turkey burger, and the BBQ Chicken Breast Chick'n Lick'n.

The restaurant officially became a franchise in 1984, and at its height, it boasted 30 locations all across Ontario, including spots in Toronto on The Queensway, near Spadina and Bloor, The Beaches, Kingston Road, and Yonge and Eglinton.

Photo: Lick's.

Most notably, Lick's locations became known for their zany atmosphere, where staff would sing you pop songs, even sometimes rewriting the lyrics, while flipping burgers and preparing your order.

Despite its success, the 2008 financial crisis marked a turning point for the chain, as changing consumer habits and a shift to quick takeout meals over sit-down experiences started to hit Lick's hard. Slowly, locations began to shutter, and by 2013, even the original Queen Street location had shut its doors.

A Lick's location on Morningside Avenue in 2009. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

By 2017, only two locations were left, namely one in Toronto and another in Parry Sound. In July 2021, the last Lick's Toronto restaurant at 900 Warden Ave. left the franchise and rebranded as Andy's Artisan Burgers (which has since closed as well).

Now, all that remains of the brand is one location in Parry Sound at 1 Horseshoe Lake Rd.

Although Lick's is permanently gone from Toronto, if you close your eyes, you might still be able to imagine the smell of the burgers on the grill and hear the staff singing off-key as your order sizzled behind the counter.