In a former hardware store in Parkdale, Parts & Labour is a new multilevel venue that includes a 140-seat restaurant on the main floor, a lower-level space for live music and events called the Shop, and a rooftop garden where ingredients are grown for the restaurant's signature dishes. The venue, open since June 10, is a collaboration between Jesse Girard and Richard Lambert, owners of the Social, and Brian Richer and Kei Ng—the pair behind OddFellows and design studio Castor.
"It's really meant to be industrial-minimalist," Girard said of the design, which includes a 30-foot bar constructed of c-channel steel beams. The bar is illuminated by 85 lamps made from recycled fire extinguishers that have been chopped in half, stripped, and powder-coated.
Bar stools are made of industrial truck spring, and the dining area features eight oak veneer-topped communal tables, lit by Castor’s recycled tube lights—a fixture at sister restaurant OddFellows. Additional design highlights include an industrial chandelier made from loading-dock lights, plastered black foyer walls, a windshield installation in the entrance, iconic 40/4 chairs, and a Morso fireplace from Denmark.
Chef Matty Matheson, who also helms the kitchen at OddFellows, offers a menu with dishes like short rib Bolognese, steak frites, warm potato salad served with deviled eggs and bacon, and peppercorn-crusted horse tenderloin. Ingredients like lettuce and heirloom carrots are grown in the 2,000-square-foot rooftop garden, designed by Matheson in conjunction with landscape designer Victoria Taylor and Katie Mathieu, a chef, gardener, and permaculture designer.
Parts & Labour is available for buyout and can hold as many as 420. The main level holds 250 and the Shop can accommodate as many as 170.
![E18664standalone](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2010/06/e18664standalone.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Jesse Girard and Richard Lambert (owners of Queen Street bar the Social) collaborated with Kei Ng and Brian Richer (of OddFellows restaurant and design studio Castor) to create the concept for Parts & Labour—a new restaurant and event space in Parkdale.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e18664image4.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The 30-foot bar—constructed of c-channel steel beams—is illuminated by 85 lamps made from recycled fire extinguishers.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e18664image3.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The dining area features eight oak veneer-topped communal tables lit by Castor's recycled tube lights—a fixture at sister restaurant OddFellows.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e18664image5.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![A recycled satellite dish covered in gold leaf hangs from the ceiling in the foyer, which also features a Morso fireplace from Denmark.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e18664image1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![A wall of cracked windshields dresses the entrance to the Shop, the lower-level event space and live music venue.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e18664image2.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)