Sir Corp, a Toronto-based company with 21 restaurants scattered around Toronto, Central Canada and the u.s., is undergoing a $10-million expansion that will see growth for a number of the company’s chains.

Sir Corp owns Al Frisco’s, Armadillo Texas Grill, Alice Fazooli’s Italian Crabshack Saloon, Jack Astor’s Bar and Grill, the Loose Moose, and Walt’s Grill and Bar.

The expansion, which is limited to southern Ontario, includes three new Jack Astor’s in Brampton, Mississauga, and Etobicoke; a new Armadillo in Etobicoke; and an Alice Fazooli’s in Mississauga.

Plans for later in the year include a new restaurant initiative in Commerce Court in downtown Toronto.

Sir Corp also owns restaurants in Montreal, London, Ont., St. Catharines, Ont., Northern New York state and Dallas, Tex.

The restaurant chains are treated completely separately, and the new additions will be promoted differently.

‘Each restaurant has its own personality, and must stand on its own,’ says Peter Fowler, executive vice-president of Sir Corp.

The growth of the Sir Corp chains is being fed in part by an increasing interest in good eating and an expanding suburban population.

‘There are a number of suburban areas that have a real downtown flair to them,’ says Fowler.

Marketing for Sir Corp’s downtown ‘signature stores,’ including Fazooli’s, Al Frisco’s and the Loose Moose, is done by Rick Montgomery, a partner in Sir Corp.

Chris Hughes & Associates does the creative work for Jack Astor’s and Armadillo.

Advertising for the restaurants is generally limited to print and radio.

Sir Corp is looking for opportunities to expand more outside of Ontario, both eastward and westward, but no concrete plans are in place.