Popular Hamilton, Ontario pizza restaurant struggling to stay afloat
Published August 12, 2025 at 11:55 am
It never hurts to ask for help.
It’s no secret that the past few years have been tough for many businesses, with foodservice operators dealing with a plethora of challenges such as high commercial rent rates, increasing food and labour costs and fewer customers due to the growth of work-from-home positions and less spending power overall.
Now, one business is being candid about its struggles and asking customers to come out for pizza and wings.
“Hamilton, we need your help,” Rise Above Pizza & Wings, a casual vegan pizzeria on James Street North, told followers on social media.
“We’re gonna keep this short: Rise Above is struggling. Like a lot of independent spots, it’s been rough lately, visits are down, costs are up, and we’ve had some unexpected hits behind the scenes.”
Rise Above is not the first (and likely won’t be the last) Ontario restaurant to level with customers about how hard it is out there. Late last year, celebrated Toronto restaurateur Jen Agg announced that her long-standing restaurant Rhum Corner was struggling and might not be able to stay afloat indefinitely.
The data also bears out the bad news.
Restaurants Canada, an advocacy group that represents food service providers across the country, began noticing an uptick in bankruptcies last year. The organization said that in the first three months of 2024, 357 businesses called it quits–significantly more than the 184 restaurants that declared bankruptcy in the first few months of 2023.
Last year, the organization recorded 882 bankruptcies nationally, more than double the number of bankruptcies in 2020. The net number of independent restaurants in Canada was down by 3,000 locations in 2023 compared to 2019.
In the post, Rise Above said that if diners want the restaurant to stick around, now is the time to come out and order some plant-based pizza and wings.
“If you’ve been around, you know what this place is about. Good food, no attitude, and a space where everyone’s welcome,” the post reads.
“If you’ve ever crushed an order of wings, grabbed a slice for the road, or told a friend, ‘you have to try this place,’ now’s the time to come back.”
In the post, operators stress that the restaurant, known for offering menu items such as seitan wings, deep-fried pickles and a wide variety of pizzas, is not closing its doors imminently.
“We’re not giving up. But if we’re gonna make it through the next few months, we need a boost from the community who’ve kept us going all along,” they wrote.
Local fans responded in droves, with some thanking the restaurant for being open and honest about the challenges it’s facing.
“Thank you for doing this instead of being stoic and silent. We need community, and we need good pizza. Sending love from St. Catharines and plans to come order soon,” one poster wrote.
Others said they’ve been devastated to see other vegan restaurants close and are worried about plant-based operations disappearing from the city.
“We love you! I have been so sad to see my favourite vegan spots going and I literally said yesterday, “if Rise Above and Democracy close, I’m moving”. I’ll be in this week with an order,” one poster wrote.
In the post, the restaurant encourages customers to dine in or order takeout, buy a t-shirt or tell other people to visit.
Ultimately, posters pledged to visit and said they hope the restaurant can thrive.
“I’m sorry to hear this. I really hope business picks up and I often tell people to try it even non-vegans. I’m glad you asked for help,” another person wrote.
Cover photo from Rise Above’s official Facebook page