Trinity Common

Strolling around Kensington Market where he worked, Michael Shepherd used to pass the same Indian tapas restaurant every day and wondered why it was never busy. "It seemed like such a waste because whenever the sun wasn’t shining, the place was dead," says Mike.

And he would know – back in university, Mike began working in the restaurant biz and then spent eight years managing the Pheonix Concert Theatre before opening Big Fat Burrito, a Mexican joint in Kensington. So when he saw that the Indian spot was closing, he didn’t waste any time. Mike contacted the landlord and pretty soon, the deal was done.

For his second establishment in the area, Mike envisioned something different: a spacious resto-bar with a comfortable, welcoming vibe. He called it Trinity Common. "The name stuck because we are three co-owners, the address is 303 Augusta, and the ward for this area is Trinity Spadina," he explains.