Al's Steakhouse

What Al's Steakhouse does

Al's Steakhouse is a single-location, family-owned full-service steakhouse at 327 Elgin Street in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, founded in July 1967 by Lebanese immigrant Halim 'Al' Saikali and now operated by the third generation of the Saikali family. The restaurant's core product is certified Angus beef cooked on a live charcoal grill — described as the first and only such setup in Ottawa — alongside fresh fish, classic cocktails, and an extensive wine list, served daily for lunch and dinner with ample free parking on-site.

The business operates three revenue streams: dine-in service, private event and wedding hosting in a banquet hall accommodating up to 80 guests, and takeout (Tuesday through Sunday, 4-8 PM). Private group dining is sold via tiered packages (Gold C$65, Platinum C$80, Diamond C$105 per person) and wedding receptions start around C$40 per person, with no venue rental fees. A signature ancillary product, the restaurant's garlic salad dressing, is bottled and sold in-house and distributed through approximately 20 grocery retailers across the Ottawa region including Sobeys, Foodland, multiple YIG (Your Independent Grocer) stores, Produce Depot, Butchery, and Mid East Foods.

The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer: phone reservations at (613) 233-7111, OpenTable online reservations (Sunday-Thursday), walk-in service, and inbound corporate/wedding inquiries via the website. Marketing is concentrated in organic review channels (TripAdvisor with 385 reviews, Facebook, Google Reviews) and the company website. The business is privately held with no external investors, no disclosed revenue, no headcount data, and operates as a mature, stable single-unit enterprise in the Ottawa market.

Name

Al's Steakhouse

Legal name

Al's Steakhouse

Website

https://alssteakhouse.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Al's Steakhouse is a single-location, family-owned steakhouse in downtown Ottawa, founded in 1967, serving certified Angus beef cooked on live charcoal. It also hosts private events and weddings and distributes its signature garlic dressing through Ottawa-area grocery retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Steakhouse Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Special Food Services (7223)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Steakhouses & Seafood Restaurants (THAFACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)

Keywords

• Steakhouse dining
• Private event catering
• Wedding reception venue
• Restaurant takeout service
• Signature salad dressing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Service: Full-service dine-in restaurant offering certified Angus beef, fresh fish, classic cocktails, and an extensive wine list. Serves lunch and dinner daily.
2. Private Events and Catering: Private dining events including corporate dining, weddings, and group luncheons with customizable menu packages (Gold, Platinum, Diamond tiers). No space rental fees charged.
3. Takeout and Takeaway Products: Full menu available for takeout Tuesday to Sunday 4-8pm. Retail sales of famous garlic salad dressing sold in-house and distributed through grocery stores across Ottawa region.
4. Retail Dressing Sales: Al's famous garlic salad dressing is bottled and sold in grocery stores throughout the Ottawa region including YIG stores, Produce Depot, Sobeys, Foodland, Butchery, and Mid East Foods.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Al's Steakhouse operates a full-service steakhouse restaurant in downtown Ottawa serving certified Angus beef cooked on live charcoal, fresh fish, classic cocktails, and an extensive wine list for lunch and dinner daily. The restaurant additionally hosts private events and wedding receptions with customizable menu packages, offers full-menu takeout, and retails its signature bottled garlic salad dressing through grocery stores across the Ottawa region.

Product overview

Al's Steakhouse is a single-location, family-owned-and-operated restaurant in Ottawa offering dine-in service, private event hosting, wedding receptions, and takeout. The restaurant's core offering is certified Angus beef cooked on live charcoal, complemented by fresh fish, classic cocktails, and an extensive wine list. A signature consumer product is their famous garlic salad dressing, sold both in-house and at grocery stores throughout the Ottawa region. Private dining capabilities include a banquet hall for up to 80 guests with customizable group and wedding packages ranging from $40 to $105 per person.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Al's Steakhouse Dining
• Al's Famous Garlic Salad Dressing
• Private Events and Group Dining
• Wedding Reception Services
• Takeout Menu

Quantifiable outcome

• 385 TripAdvisor reviews
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Broad incumbents

• Ruth's Chris Steak House: U.S.-headquartered national steakhouse chain with broad geographic footprint. While Al's is a single-location independent, both compete in the upper-tier steakhouse segment with similar menu positioning and dining occasion.
• The Capital Grille: Premium U.S. steakhouse chain owned by Darden Restaurants, competing in the same upscale steakhouse segment as Al's with dry-aged steaks, extensive wine lists, and private dining — albeit at a national scale.
• Cactus Club Cafe: Canadian upscale-casual chain with multiple locations, competing in the full-service dining segment against Al's for occasion-driven meals. Comparable in service model and bar-driven revenue, though broader menu positioning.
• Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality: Canadian hospitality group operating multiple upscale full-service restaurants and event venues, including in Ottawa. Comparable in full-service dining, private events, and banquet offerings — relevant for benchmarking event-driven revenue mix.

Direct peers

• Chop Steakhouse & Bar: Canadian steakhouse chain operating in multiple provinces, including Ontario. Comparable in menu, service model, and price tier; represents direct chain competition for Al's local Ottawa market share.
• Hy's Steakhouse: Long-established Canadian steakhouse chain with locations in major cities, offering premium aged beef and classic steakhouse service. Comparable to Al's as a heritage-driven, full-service steakhouse concept serving similar customer occasions.
• The Keg Steakhouse + Bar: Canada's largest steakhouse chain with multiple Ottawa-area locations, directly competing with Al's on certified Angus beef, full-service dining, and similar per-cover price points. Both target diners seeking classic steakhouse experiences.

Regional players

• The Whalesbone Oyster House: Ottawa-based independent full-service seafood/steakhouse alternative, sharing downtown Ottawa's full-service fine-dining customer base with Al's. Useful as a regional benchmark for independent restaurant unit economics in the same city.
• Whalesbone: Ottawa-based independent full-service restaurant group focused on seafood and upscale dining. Comparable as an Ottawa-rooted independent restaurant with similar local reputation dynamics and full-service dinner positioning.

Others

• New York Fries: Canadian foodservice brand; included as a peer for shared Canadian foodservice/CPG dynamics. Not a direct competitor but useful as a benchmark for Canadian restaurant brands that have scaled packaged retail products similar to Al's garlic dressing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Als-Steakhouse-127422093961560/reviews/?ref=page_internal

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Al's Steakhouse