Leslieville fried-chicken spot says landlord ‘extorted’ them before eviction
Daddy's Chicken says it was given an eviction notice after refusing to pay for a furnace repair the landlord wanted them to cover.
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By Torontoer Staff
If you’ve rented anything in Toronto — a basement apartment in the Junction, a retail spot on Queen West, or a cafe on Roncesvalles — you know landlord stories can get messy. But for Leslieville’s fried-chicken and sandwich shop Daddy’s Chicken, a routine dispute over a furnace allegedly escalated into what the business publicly called “eviction by extortion.”
On Dec. 20, 2025, the restaurant shared screenshots on Instagram saying their landlord demanded the tenants front roughly $700 (or more) to replace a broken furnace. When Daddy’s Chicken pushed back, they say, they were handed a two-month eviction notice — a shock for a small neighbourhood business that’s been serving up comfort food on Queen St. E.
What Daddy’s Chicken says happened
The Instagram post includes text-message screenshots the restaurant says show the landlord asking them to pay for a furnace replacement. One of the messages shared by the business argues the furnace mainly served the residential unit above the restaurant and that Daddy’s Chicken already got enough heat from kitchen equipment — in short, they didn’t see why they should cover the bill for a repair that primarily benefited a neighbour upstairs.
Eviction by extortion.
Daddy's Chicken (Instagram)
The same thread also alleges the landlord had previously asked the restaurant to end a separate contract with someone who could have fixed the furnace, then turned around and told them to pay for a new unit. After the business says it challenged that demand, they were served notice to vacate the premises at 1276 Queen St. E.
Also — the furnace that you are asking us to pay for is primarily for the upstairs unit; we get enough heat from our equipment.
Alleged text-message exchange shared by Daddy's Chicken
Commercial leases aren’t the same as renting your apartment
If you’re used to residential rulebooks — the Residential Tenancies Act that makes landlords responsible for repairs to heat, plumbing and electrical systems — this feels wrong. But commercial tenancy in Ontario is different: there’s no one-size-fits-all statute that says who pays for what. Instead, responsibilities are laid out in the lease the parties sign.
That’s where this case gets particularly thorny. Daddy’s Chicken’s post says they didn’t have a formal lease because, they allege, the landlord refused to provide one. Without a written lease spelling out maintenance obligations, it’s harder for a business to prove who was on the hook for the furnace — and easier for disputes to turn ugly.
What this means for small restaurants in Toronto
Whether you run a pop-up, a bakery in Parkdale, or a neighbourhood sandwich shop in Leslieville, the Daddy’s Chicken situation is a reminder that renting commercial space comes with its own risks. For many small operators, the costs of relocation or a legal fight are prohibitive — and losing a visible Queen St. E. spot can be a serious hit to a community business.
- Get a written lease. Have obligations for repairs and who pays them spelled out clearly.
- Document everything. Save text messages, emails and receipts in case the disagreement turns legal.
- Ask for legal or small-business advice before signing — a lawyer or community business centre can flag risky clauses.
- Know your options. Commercial disputes often land in civil court rather than at the Landlord and Tenant Board (which covers residential matters).
Where the neighbourhood fits in — and what’s next
Leslieville and Queen St. E. have lost plenty of independent spots to rising rents and development over the years. When a local place like Daddy’s Chicken says it’s being pushed out over a repair bill, it taps into a broader worry: that small, independent food businesses are increasingly vulnerable to landlord decisions they can’t control.
At the time of the post, the restaurant hadn’t responded to requests for further comment, and there’s no word yet on where (or whether) Daddy’s Chicken will reopen once the two-month notice period ends. For now, neighbours and regulars will be watching their socials for updates — and probably sharpening their chicken-sandwich cravings.
If you’re renting commercial space in the city, consider this a friendly nudge: read the lease, keep records of every conversation, and get help if something doesn’t feel right. Losing a storefront on Queen St. E. hurts more than a business’s bottom line — it changes the streetscape we all share.
Daddy's ChickenLeslievillerestaurantscommercial-tenancyQueen St E
