Rudy, a burger joint from Toronto that opened in 2016, has been making its way into Southwestern Ontario this year, with a spot at London’s White Oaks Mall and another set to open in St. Thomas on Sept. 11 at 985 Talbot St. Luke Mc Cann, the owner of this expanding chain, chatted with LFP’s Ryan Goodison about what makes them tick.
Q: For those who might not know you, what is Rudy and how did it start?
A: A friend of mine and I launched it over 10 years ago in Little Italy on College Street in Toronto, and it started off pretty simply. We were both big fans of burgers growing up and spent a lot of time traveling trying to figure out our direction. The idea was just to create simple griddle burgers. I remember my mom frying them up when I was a kid, so we kept the menu straightforward. It’s all made from scratch in-house.
Q: Where does the name come from?
A: The name Rudy comes from when my late business partner and I were kids. You know how at parties someone can be acting obnoxiously? We’d quietly say that guy’s being a “rudy,” meaning he’s being rude. It was just an inside joke we had back then.
Q: You’re now expanding into St. Thomas; what led you to choose this location?
A: We visited the area and talked to many local businesses, which all seemed to be thriving-it’s a growing part of the province. We found a fantastic spot on Talbot with great visibility; it’s standalone too. It reminded us of our location on Queensway in Toronto. When you find a place like that, you can’t let it slip away.
A Rude Dude burger, skinny fries and a pop were photographed at Rudy in White Oaks Mall in London on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. Geoff Robins/The
Q: You opened your London location back in January; why did you pick this city?
A: London is quite a large city outside of Toronto and heading that way shows it’s growing fast. With colleges and universities nearby along with its sizable population, it felt like the right move for us. Plus, I’ve got friends down there who would always ask me when we’d open up in London-it had been on our radar for some time.
Q: What made White Oaks Mall the perfect spot for your location?
A: We liked the area right off the highway-plus the mall is currently undergoing construction along with road work nearby. Once everything’s done, we believe it’ll really take off there! With Ronaldo soccer Footlab and Ikea moving into the same mall too, it just seemed like an ideal match for us.
Q: The St. Thomas spot will be your 19th across Ontario; what’s behind your success so far?
A: Our focus is on keeping things simple-a straightforward menu with good food done well-that’s our approach. We’re not as quick as Mc Donald’s but we think it’s worth waiting for! Attracting great people to work with us has also played a big role in our growth because if you’ve got excellent staff, amazing things can happen.
Q: Are there plans for more expansions into Southwestern Ontario?
A: This is as far southwest as we’ve planned for now but we’d love to eventually reach Windsor-and maybe even Sarnia!
Q: If you could recommend one item from your menu, what would it be?
A: My favorite has got to be the double cheeseburger known as the Rude Dude-I usually pair it with our thin fries cooked in beef tallow which sets us apart from most places; although it’s starting to get more popular again!
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