Calgary has been inundated with big-name chain restaurants, particularly over the last few years. Listings of new openings are often overrun by announcements of a new Wingstop, Shake Shack, or Dunkin Donuts. While the proliferation of national and international chains is inevitable as the city’s population grows, it’s also nice to embrace our homegrown restaurants.

As it turns out, as much as we have an appetite for other places’ chains, the feeling is becoming mutual. Several Calgary-based businesses are spreading their wings beyond our city, leaving an impact on the rest of the country and beyond.

One of the latest Calgary restaurants to make waves is Craft Beer Market. Its flagship 10th Avenue S.W. restaurant opened with a splash in 2011, offering a fresh alternative to traditional pubs. The beer was interesting and extremely plentiful, the food was much better than typical bar bites, and the vibe was — and remains — bright and welcoming. Founder PJ L’Heureux was clearly onto something and before long, Craft began to multiply.

Today, Craft has 10 locations in eight cities, with outposts in Edmonton, B.C., Ontario, and, as of this spring, Texas. Its most recent Calgary opening was over the summer, with a suburban restaurant in Shepard Flats, part of the South Trail Crossing shopping district.

Craft has changed over the years. The shiny new location feels more like a contemporary Earls or Joey (two other powerhouse chains originally established in Alberta) than a bar. The food has also been updated: while Craft’s food program came out strong in the beginning, other bars caught up to it and the company needed some new chef power. Chef Joshua Dyer (formerly of the Dorian Hotel) took over as director of brand innovation for Craft and its sister restaurant Central late last year and has endeavoured to make the food just as important as the beer.

“In May, we launched a brand-new program; it’s called ‘Good food, good mood’,” Dyer says. “It’s about going back to form and re-establishing what makes Craft’s food unique.”

Since Dyer comes from a fine dining background, his influence has resulted in things like a whipped burrata caprese spread with candied pistachios and a maple-glazed short rib, as well as more humble familiar favourites such as burgers, pizza, and absolutely crave-worthy Korean sticky ribs.

The new Craft location is at 5155 130th Ave. S.E., with additional locations downtown and at Southcentre. For more information, visit craftbeermarket.com.

However, Craft is not the only Calgary restaurant with widespread success. Here are some other locally born chains:

OPA! of Greece
The very first OPA! opened in 1998 as a food court kiosk in Market Mall. Now positioning itself as North America’s largest Greek quick-service restaurant, OPA! works on a franchise model with over 120 locations across Canada. The newest local shop is at West Springs Landing (922 85th St. S.W.) The menu has evolved since those early days, but a classic souvlaki wrap with a side of fries smothered in tzatziki will always hit the spot.

Edo Japan
Another nationwide quick-service model, Edo Japan launched in Calgary in 1979. Reverend Susumu Ikuta started the restaurant (the first was in the food court at Southcentre) to introduce Japanese food to Canadians while giving entrepreneurs, particularly newcomers to Canada, the opportunity to franchise. Ever evolving, Edo has moved from a purely teppanyaki focus to also offer sushi, ramen, and bubble tea and has opted to expand to streetside dine-in restaurants rather than mall food courts.

Concorde Group
Concorde Group — the local juggernaut behind over 20 restaurant and bar concepts including Major Tom, the National beer halls, and Lulu Bar — is certainly in a different category than something like Opa or Edo, but it is also spreading outside of Calgary. Concorde currently operates a Bridgette Bar in Canmore, as well as its first Hunter steakhouse (the Calgary location will open within the next few months) in the mountain town. In 2024, the brand branched into the Toronto market, opening National, Lulu Bar, and Bridgette Bar locations in the downtown Well development.

OEB Breakfast Co.
OEB (it stands for “over easy breakfast”) started life as a tiny brunch spot on Edmonton Trail, fulfilling founder Mauro Martina’s vision of creating a chef-driven brunch spot built on indulgent dishes with fresh, high-quality ingredients. It was a near-instant hit, and Martina knew demand was high enough for expansion through franchising. There are now four OEBs in Calgary (the OG was too small, so the flagship is now further down the hill in Bridgeland), as well as seven locations in B.C. The OEB empire has also grown to Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Unlike typical franchise restaurants, each of the 20 locations has a bit of its own flavour, with menus reflecting local ingredients.

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth can be reached at elizabooth@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @elizabooth or sign up for her newsletter at hungrycalgary.substack.com.