Help Save Rayah ❤️

We asked our landlord for invoices. We got eviction notices instead.

My family and I invested everything we had to open Rayah, a French-Moroccan restaurant in our favourite neighbourhood, Cabbagetown. It has since become the hangout spot for many neighbours, now friends, who encouraged us to start this fundraiser. We can't thank them enough.

We have always paid our rent. Yet our landlord is demanding thousands in maintenance charges, with no invoices to support them. When we asked for proof, the Landlord threatened to evict us, then added its own legal fees on top, bringing the total to nearly $20,000.

The Landlord doesn't need a judge to lock us out. But we need one to fight back, and that will cost tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, with no public legal aid for commercial tenants.

How is this possible?

In Ontario, a commercial landlord can send you a bill. If you don't pay within 15 days, they can retake possession. Without a court order. It's called peaceable re-entry. In plain terms: they can lock you out before you even have time to verify the bill.

While we were abroad at my father-in-law's deathbed, the Landlord changed our locks without notice. We had to rush back. My husband then slept inside the restaurant for nearly four months to prevent a lockout.

Meanwhile, we offered a simple deal: show us the invoices, and we pay. The Landlord refused, and threatened to evict us again.

We're a family with two children and employees that count on us.

We're not asking for special treatment, only transparency, fairness, and the right to defend ourselves.

Every donation and every share helps us save Rayah. ❤️

Wafa & Zaky

Our Story in the Press

Our fight has received significant media attention, with several major Canadian news outlets covering our dispute and the challenges we face as small business owners.

If you'd like to learn more about our situation, here is our story as reported by the media:

- Toronto Star: This Cabbagetown Bistro Was About to Celebrate Its First Anniversary. Instead, It Was Threatened With Eviction. Click Here

- Toronto Today: Rayah Moroccan Restaurant Under Threat of Eviction. Click Here

- Radio-Canada: Read our story in French. Click Here

- CityNews Toronto: Cabbagetown Restaurant Facing Eviction Amid Landlord Dispute. Click Here