<img class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual" src="https://display.blogto.com/articles/20250417-teako-toronto.jpg?w=1200&amp;cmd=resize_then_crop&amp;height=630&amp;quality=70&amp;format=auto" width="100%" /><p>A Filipino cafe in Toronto that is known for its bubble teas, colourful&nbsp;ube desserts, and variety of other unique handcrafted sips and eats&nbsp;has, like other&nbsp;small businesses in the city lately,&nbsp;issued an appeal to the community for help&nbsp;staying afloat.</p><p><a href="https://www.blogto.com/cafes/teako-toronto/">Teako</a>, which started as an online loose leaf tea retailer, opened its location at the&nbsp;corner of Gerrard and Greenwood in summer 2023, managing to dodge the devastating forced lockdowns of the COVID era that some indie spots <a href="https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2024/09/toronto-donut-shop-struggling/">are still financially recovering from</a>.</p><p>But, the present economic uncertainty and ongoing&nbsp;cost of living crisis &mdash;&nbsp;which is certainly not limited to the city, province, or even country, but is more acute&nbsp;in already-expensive places&nbsp;like Toronto &mdash;&nbsp;has brought about <a href="https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2025/03/toronto-bar-owner-10k-debt-recession-poor-people/">its own set of issues</a>, as it has for all of us.</p><p>Rising operating costs and slower traffic (because who<em> isn't<a href="https://www.blogto.com/fashion_style/2024/10/canadians-buying-secondhand-save-money/"> </a></em><a href="https://www.blogto.com/fashion_style/2024/10/canadians-buying-secondhand-save-money/">trying to save as much cash as possible</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2024/10/shocking-number-canadians-say-theyve-stopped-eating-out-restaurants/">avoid&nbsp;going out </a>right now)&nbsp;has prompted more&nbsp;bars, restaurants, coffee shops and stores to either<a href="https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2025/03/taverne-tamblyn-toronto/">&nbsp;pivot</a>, <a href="https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2025/03/toronto-brewery-moving-plant-london-rising-rent/">relocate&nbsp;out of the city</a>&nbsp;or <a href="https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2025/03/dakota-tavern-toronto-closed/">close&nbsp;down altogether</a>.</p><p>Then there are those that&nbsp;are trying to find an alternative to any of the above&nbsp;by seeking out loans&nbsp;or&nbsp;crowdfunding, like Teako.</p><blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@blogto/video/7271398236290682117" class="tiktok-embed"><section><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@blogto?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="@blogto">@blogto</a> This is Toronto&rsquo;s new Filipino take out shop 🙌 <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/foryou?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="foryou">#ForYou</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="fyp">#Fyp</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/toronto?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="toronto">#Toronto</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/ontario?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="ontario">#Ontario</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/canada?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="canada">#Canada</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/torontocanada?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="torontocanada">#TorontoCanada</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/ontariocanada?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="ontariocanada">#OntarioCanada</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tiktoktoronto?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="tiktoktoronto">#TiktokToronto</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/torontorestaurants?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="torontorestaurants">#TorontoRestaurants</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/torontoontario?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="torontoontario">#TorontoOntario</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/food?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="food">#Food</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/torontofood?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="torontofood">#TorontoFood</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/teako?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="teako">#Teako</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/filipino?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="filipino">#Filipino</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/snacks?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="snacks">#Snacks</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7271398231775021829?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - blogTO">♬ original sound - blogTO</a></section></blockquote><p>"We're reaching out with heavy hearts but hopeful spirits. Teako is at risk of closing its doors," reads <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-save-teako-our-community-cafe-needs-you">a GoFundMe</a> launched by the business's owners in late March.</p><p>"Due to financial challenges, we've fallen behind on rent and are facing pending disconnection from Toronto Hydro. Despite our best efforts, we're struggling to keep up with mounting bills while continuing to serve the neighbourhood we love."</p><p>The page goes on to outline&nbsp;the thousands that the cafe would need&nbsp;to catch up on rent, utilities, "other pending expenses," and to stabilize operations to&nbsp;stay open.</p><p>In speaking with&nbsp;blogTO over email, owner Jay Dalisay also details other struggles, like the subpar snow clearing by the City of Toronto following the most recent winter storm, and infrastructure repairs that have either discouraged or completely blocked access to the shop.</p><p>Then, of course, there are the new and unexpected burdens of the&nbsp;trade war with the U.S., which have caused&nbsp;prices of some of the cafe's key ingredients to "skyrocket."</p><p>"We're reluctant to pass these rising costs onto our customers, knowing that many are also struggling," he says, adding that so far, they've avoided raising prices. Crowdfunding seemed like a logical step to resort to instead.</p><p>In just under a month, the campaign&nbsp;has raised&nbsp;$3,720, for which management is incredibly thankful.</p><p>"Although still far from reaching our goal, we are truly at a loss for words. The outpouring of support has been overwhelming," Dalisay told us.</p><p>"Some customers didn't&nbsp;just donate, they also made the effort to stop by and shop in-store, showing us even more love and encouragement. The desire to see us stay open truly shows what a real community is."</p><p>He also hopes that the warm weather in the weeks to come will lead to more business as the city comes alive for the summer.</p><p>Unfortunately, other&nbsp;businesses that have similarly tried to crowdsource&nbsp;support have not been as fortunate, and have had to close down anyway, like<a href="https://www.blogto.com/bars/shacklands-brewing-toronto/"> Shacklands Brewing</a>, owners of which <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/shacklands-needs-your-help">started a GoFundMe in December</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DIChcFOSX8T">still ended up shuttering for good</a>&nbsp;just this month despite raising nearly $15,000 for bills and renovation expenses.</p>