Rudy’s Celebrates 40 Years in Halifax with a Return to 1983 Prices

HALIFAX — When Rudy Rizkallah landed in Halifax back in 1976, the future business owner and entrepreneur only had one thing going for him: his determined work ethic.

But that hard work led to several successful businesses, including the one he is best known for: Rudy’s Catering Service. On April 5, Rudy’s (and Rizkallah himself) will celebrate an incredible milestone: 40 years of operation in downtown Halifax.

To celebrate, Rudy’s is rolling back prices Wednesday to 1983 levels. Customers can buy a hamburger for 99 cents and a cup of coffee for just a couple of quarters.

Rolling back prices for one day is Rizkallah’s way of showing his gratitude to his customers. Even after 40 years, he takes great pride when he gets a “thumbs up” from patrons or staff after a successful service.

The road to opening Rudy’s was long and filled with sacrifices, but also with tremendous determination.

After the Lebanese civil war broke out in 1975, it displaced almost s million over the next 15 years. In 1976, Rizkallah became one of those people when he had to flee an attack on his hometown. He eventually hopped aboard a ship to escape to Cyprus.

It was Rizkallah’s uncle who convinced him to start a new life in Canada.

“My uncle was doing his papers to come to Canada with his family,” he recalled. “I went to the port to say goodbye to him. And that’s when he asked me if I’d come along and help him with his two kids. He said he would feel more comfortable if I came with him. So, at that moment I decided I would come here. I wasn’t planning on it.”

When he arrived in Halifax, Rizkallah worked two jobs: one at McDonald’s and another at a gas station. He went to Dartmouth High School to learn English.

After just a year of working two jobs, Rizkallah managed to save $1,000. He decided to use that money to buy his first convenience store on Vernon Street. The only problem was the owners of that store were asking for $5,500.

“I told them I only have $1,000 and I’m new in this country; I don’t have any option to go to the bank because they wouldn’t give me the money. I was only in this country for one year,” Rizkallah recalled.

“I said ‘it looks like you don’t have much inventory and you’re not going to survive more than a couple of months.’ So, I said to him ‘How about I’ll give you the $1,000 and you will finance the rest of the money for me, and I will pay you back?’ He agreed. And I paid him back in less than three months.”

Although he worked hard to establish his first business, the long hours were only just beginning. For the first year, he ran the store by himself.

“I had nothing going for me back then except my hard work. So, I worked from 6 a.m. until midnight, seven days a week. I filled it up with groceries. I stocked up completely and the business tripled. I had everything from sandwiches to needle and thread.”

Rizkallah eventually opened a second store in Fairview and a video arcade on Main Street in Dartmouth. He gave his original Vernon Street store to his brother after he also arrived in Halifax.

But, in 1983, Rizkallah shoved all his chips into the middle to become a restaurateur. And that’s when Rudy’s was born.

“I sold everything to get in the restaurant business downtown. It was good business and it was Monday to Friday. I didn’t want to work seven days a week anymore.”

But for any business to survive and thrive for 40 years, it must change and adapt along the way. Rudy’s is no exception. In the late 90s, owning a restaurant in downtown Halifax was becoming tough, as more and more eateries began to open. That’s when Rizkallah added the catering services to stand out from the competition.

“I started catering when downtown started having a lot of competition,” he said. “When I started in 1983, I was one of the only [restaurants]. And as the years passed by, the pie was getting smaller because people were opening everywhere.”

The changes haven’t stopped there. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Rudy’s, like most restaurants, has seen a drop off of in-person dining. So, it now offers delivery through third-party apps like UberEATS and Skip the Dishes.

It also offers meal plans, which has become a popular trend with the younger generations, especially university students.

Over the years, Rudy’s has also become a family business. Rizkallah has a wife, Maria, and four children, who have played a great role in the restaurant’s operation over the years.

Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].