Harvey's: History, Key Facts and Reviews

1959: a burger stand in Richmond Hill

Harvey’s began on April 1, 1959, as a single burger stand at Yonge Street and Observatory Lane in Richmond Hill, north of Toronto (Wikipedia). Rick Mauran, a Montreal entrepreneur who had co-founded Swiss Chalet in 1954, ran it with George B. Sukornyk on land bought from a bankrupt Dairy Queen owner. The name came from a sign: Mauran bought it from John Harvey Motors, a car dealership closing down at 2300 Danforth Avenue in Toronto (blogTO). The stand was meant to be seasonal, but customers kept coming through the winter.

1960s-1970s: grilled to order, then franchised

Harvey’s grew on one idea: the burger is grilled when you order it and you choose the toppings yourself, in front of the staff who assemble it. Fries were cut fresh on site. The first franchise opened at Bloor and Bedford in Toronto in 1963, and the chain had 75 restaurants across Canada by 1977. Harvey’s and Swiss Chalet were then grouped in a holding company, Foodcorp, which Cara Operations bought at the end of the decade. In the 1980s the chain adopted the slogan it still uses: “Harvey’s makes your hamburger a beautiful thing.”

1989-2014: from the Superburger to the Angus

Harvey’s has changed its flagship burger many times while keeping the build-your-own counter. The Superburger (1989-1996) gave way to the Ultra Burger, the Big Harv, a first Angus burger and the Great Canadian (2010-2013). Since 2014 the lead burger has been an Angus made with Canadian beef. The original Richmond Hill restaurant was demolished in 2012 to make room for condominiums.

2017-2024: Quebec, Recipe Unlimited and 65 years

The last decade brought new owners and a push into Quebec. In December 2017 Cara put St-Hubert Group in charge of growing Harvey’s in Quebec, where it had 46 of its 274 restaurants, with plans for up to 45 more (Cara press release). Cara renamed itself Recipe Unlimited in May 2018, and Fairfax Financial took the group private on October 31, 2022 (Wikipedia). For its 65th birthday, on April 1, 2024, Harvey’s sold its Original Burger for $1.65 in its app (Harvey’s press release). Today it counts around 300 restaurants in every province except British Columbia, with its head office in Vaughan, Ontario.

Key dates

• 1959: Rick Mauran and George B. Sukornyk open the first Harvey’s in Richmond Hill, Ontario, on April 1.
• 1963: first franchised restaurant, at Bloor and Bedford in Toronto.
• 1977: Harvey’s reaches 75 restaurants across Canada.
• 2014: an Angus burger made with Canadian beef becomes the flagship.
• 2017: St-Hubert Group takes charge of Harvey’s growth in Quebec.
• 2022: Fairfax Financial takes Recipe Unlimited, Harvey’s parent, private.
• 2024: 65th anniversary, with the Original Burger at $1.65.