Black Tomato to close after 23 years; owner blames minimum wage hike

It’s black days for the Black Tomato, and owner Pete Besserer puts the blame squarely on Ontario’s higher the minimum wage, which takes effect Jan. 1.
The restaurant, a stalwart of ByWard Market dining for 23 years, will close at the end of the month.
“It’s the minimum wage, absolutely. That will be an $80,000 hit for me, just in hours,” Besserer said. “Then you have to factor in the grey area of what all the other stuff that comes through the door is going to