In another move aimed at changing the public’s perception of the ByWard Market, Ottawa nightlife mogul Abbis Mahmoud is launching a new restaurant in the space formerly occupied by Blue Cactus Bar and Grill.
Mahmoud, the founder of entertainment and hospitality company Dreammind Group, officially took over the 8,600-square-foot site at 2 ByWard Market Square on Wednesday. Mahmoud told OBJ he hopes to open his newest establishment, Grey’s Social Eatery, in the space around the end of February.
“I started in the Market a long time ago, and I really felt the Market needed a spark to create some excitement again,” he said in an interview on Thursday. “(Blue Cactus) has been a great venue for over 30 years, but it’s had its time.”
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Mahmoud, whose other holdings include restaurants Happy Fish and The Waverley on Elgin Street as well as bars such as The Show and Room 104, said the new venue is “going to feel like a beautiful eatery that you’d see in New York or L.A.”
The decor will include custom-made chandeliers and marble bar-tops, while the menu will feature an eclectic mix of hearty fare such as burgers along with steaks and sushi, he explained.
Mahmoud said he hopes Grey’s, which will seat 200 patrons inside and have a 140-seat patio, will do for the Market what another one of his holdings, Med Supper Club, did for Lansdowne Park.
“I think Med really brought Ottawa forward,” Mahmoud said of the posh establishment that opened at Lansdowne in late 2023.
“Every day, people come up to me and they thank me. They’re like, ‘It feels like we’re in Dubai or we’re in New York.’ We kind of want to do the same thing in the Market.”
At the same time, he noted that Grey’s will cater to a more budget-minded clientele than the more upscale Med, with mains expected to range between $30 and $45.
“We want families coming here, we want businesspeople coming here, we want the government workers coming here,” Mahmoud said. “We kind of want to be the spark that reignites the Market.”
While he concedes the restaurant industry has gone through a rough stretch since the pandemic as inflation has eaten into discretionary spending, Mahmoud is confident his new venture will succeed.
“I believe if you give a really good product and (offer) a fair price, then people will come,” he said.
The veteran entrepreneur’s decision to open a new restaurant in the Market comes as the iconic tourist district grapples with ongoing social issues such as crime and homelessness – problems that have worsened over the past few years.
‘Rebuilding phase’
Blue Cactus is just one of several well-known businesses in the Market and the surrounding neighbourhood that have closed over the past several months, including Saslove’s Meat Market, Oz Cafe, Steve’s Music, Pure Kitchen and Café Dekcuf.
Bob Firestone, whose family opened Blue Cactus in 1989, said it was “just time to move on” after running the restaurant for the past 10 years.
Noting he’s been working in the industry since he was 15, Firestone told OBJ he’s “weighing his options” and looking forward to a bit of down time.
“I’m just going to take it easy for a little bit and then think about what I’m going to do,” he said.
Despite the Market’s recent struggles, both Mahmoud and Firestone say there are signs the area is poised for a renaissance.
Pointing to changes such as a beefed-up police presence and Live Nation’s plan to launch a new 2,000-seat live entertainment venue in the former Chapters store on Rideau Street by the end of the year, Firestone said he believes the Market has a bright future.
“The ByWard Market is in a little bit of a rebuilding phase. However, it is still a great place to be, and I do believe it will come back to glory very soon,” he said.
“People need to know the ByWard Market is the gem of the city. Hopefully, the ByWard Market District Authority (the board that replaced the ByWard Market BIA and Ottawa Markets) will do what they need to do to get those people down there to make it the area it needs to be.”
Mahmoud agreed, calling his new venue’s location at ByWard Market Square “the best corner in the city.”
“I started in the Market, I live in the Market, and I’m tired of people saying there’s nowhere to go or the Market is decrepit,” he added. “There are always going to be the naysayers, but I know the Market fairly well. I think the Market is going to start to change. I think the police are doing a fantastic job of starting to clean it up. I think it just needs investment. It’s been the same venues for a really long time.
“I travel quite a bit, and I think that the Market is the most special place in the whole country. I truly believe that. Hopefully we will put a big investment in here, and I’m hoping that other businesses as well start doing their part. The city has to invest a bit more in the Market. I think if we do all that, it’s a spectacular, magical place that no one can compete with.”
