BEFORE YOU MEET THEM AT THE COUNTER, HERE’S WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW.

Scott and Kim are not newcomers to this. They’ve owned and operated their Niagara-on-the-Lake Sunset Grill for over ten years, and three years ago they took on a second location in Blue Mountain when a long-standing owner of 15 years was ready to retire. The franchise reached out to them specifically because of how they ran their business. That’s not a small thing. What keeps people coming back to a place isn’t the menu. It’s the people running it. 

Four of their servers and one of the cooks at Niagara-on-the-Lake have been there since the very first summer they opened. Two recently came back from maternity leave, women who started in their early twenties and are now in their thirties. Three of their staff just went on vacation together. One woman who started as their babysitter became a hostess, then a server, and has been with them for nearly a decade.

“We just have great relationships that truly feel like family with all of our staff,” Kim said. “And we’re looking to create the same thing again.”

That’s the kind of place Budapest Bakeshop Burlington is going to be. 

Scott and Kim aren’t just “operators.” They are the kind of leaders who build “forever” teams. In an industry known for high turnover, their track record tells a different story.

At their Niagara-on-the-Lake location, the core of their team has been with them since the very first summer they opened ten years ago. They’ve watched their staff grow from college students into parents. They’ve welcomed team members back from maternity leaves and cheered them on as they hit life’s biggest milestones.

“We don’t just hire staff; we build relationships,” says Kim. “When three of your employees choose to go on vacation together, or a former babysitter stays with you for almost a decade as she moves from host to server, you know you’ve built something more than just a workplace. You’ve built a family.“

That is the culture they are bringing to Burlington. They aren’t just looking for employees; they are looking to create a home for a new team.

BURLINGTON WAS ALWAYS PART OF THE PLAN.

When the opportunity to franchise came together, Scott and Kim didn’t have to think long about where. Burlington is home for both of them. Both of their families are originally from there. They grew up there. They know the streets, the feel of the neighbourhoods, the rhythm of the community.

They’d been quietly watching Brant Street for a while, the way people in this business tend to keep an eye on the right kind of spot. They knew what a good fit looked like from years of operating in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Port Dalhousie, two towns with a similar energy to old downtown Burlington. When the space at 447 Brant Street came up, they drove by, looked at each other, and knew. 

Todd and Anett came to see it. Their reaction was the same.

Off to the races.

WHAT IS BUDAPEST BAKESHOP, EXACTLY? 

If you haven’t heard of it yet, you will.

Budapest Bakeshop is built around one product done extraordinarily well: the chimney cake. Known in Hungarian as kürtőskalács, it’s a traditional pastry that’s been part of Hungarian culture for centuries. Hand-rolled dough, wrapped around a cylinder, slow-roasted until the outside is perfectly caramelized and the inside stays soft and warm. Then it gets filled. Or topped. Or both. 

The original Budapest Bakeshop opened in Niagara-on-the-Lake and people drove from across the province just to try it. When they opened in Port Dalhousie, the same thing happened. There are people who plan road trips around it. There are first dates and anniversary visits and “we have to bring the kids” moments tied to this place. 

It’s the kind of thing that doesn’t need a hard sell. You try it once and you get it.

Now it’s coming to Burlington, to 447 Brant Street, right in the heart of a downtown stretch that’s been a gathering place in this city for generations. Local boutiques, small restaurants, wedding dress shops, neighbours who know each other. It’s a real neighbourhood. And Budapest Bakeshop belongs in it.

COMING HOME MEANS SOMETHING.

There’s a difference between a business that opens in your city and one that opens because of your city.

Scott and Kim didn’t choose Burlington because a market report told them to. They chose it because it’s where they come from. Because their families are rooted there. Because they already knew in their bones that this community would get it, would love it, and would show up for it.

They believe in Todd and Anett’s product the same way you believe in something you’ve watched succeed up close for years. Not hype. Not a pitch. Just people who’ve seen it with their own eyes and decided this is worth bringing home. 

BURLINGTON, YOUR TURN.

Budapest Bakeshop Burlington is opening this summer. 

If you want to be the first to know when doors open, get on the VIP list now. We’ll make sure you hear it before anyone else does.

Because if Niagara-on-the-Lake is any indication, the lineup starts early. 

Join the VIP List to be the first to know all opening updates.