The Food and Art Cafe wins Consumer Choice Award for second straight year

The Food and Art Cafe in downtown Whitby has won the 2026 Consumer Choice Award in the Café/Restaurant category for Durham Region, its second consecutive recognition. The win underscores the cafe’s local customer base, expanded hours and broader menu as it continues to build on its 2018 launch.

Why it matters: - The Food and Art Cafe’s second straight Consumer Choice Award signals strong customer approval in Durham Region. - The recognition can help reinforce the cafe’s brand as it competes on experience, menu variety and repeat business. - The award also highlights the growing demand behind the cafe’s expanded evening service and dessert offerings.

What happened: - The Food and Art Cafe won the 2026 Consumer Choice Award in the Café/Restaurant category for Durham Region. - The downtown Whitby cafe earned the honor for a second consecutive year after also being recognized in 2025. - Owner and Chef Rashi Bajaj called the repeat win a source of pride and gratitude.

The details: - The cafe opened in 2018 in downtown Whitby. - The Food and Art Cafe is known for creative menu items, an artistic atmosphere and restaurant-style dishes. - Daily-changing specials and evolving offerings are part of the cafe’s approach. - Bajaj said the award reflects guest experiences and the reputation the cafe has built locally. - The cafe has maintained a 4.8-star rating over many years and earned praise from thousands of guests. - The Food and Art Cafe and Sweet and Art Desserts together offer more than 200 items across breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. - Sweet and Art Desserts expanded the cafe’s dessert selection. - The cafe now stays open until 9:00 p.m. instead of closing at 2:00 p.m. - The business is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. - Consumer Choice Award has recognized business excellence in North America since 1987. - The award organization uses a selection process that it describes as rigorous. - More information is available at the award program.

Between the lines: - The repeat win suggests the cafe’s appeal is not limited to novelty. - The extended hours indicate the business is responding to customer demand rather than relying only on daytime café traffic. - The broad menu and dessert expansion point to a strategy built around staying relevant across multiple meal periods.

What's next: - The Food and Art Cafe is expected to keep evolving its food and dessert lineup while preserving the creative identity behind the brand. - Bajaj said the award will push the team to keep raising the bar on flavour and service. - The cafe’s continued evening service gives it more room to capture dinner and dessert visits throughout the week.

The bottom line: - The Food and Art Cafe is turning repeat local recognition into a broader hospitality strategy, with longer hours, a larger menu and a clear focus on customer experience.