Remember when Toronto restaurants were practically begging Kawhi Leonard to stay, offering him free food for life?
Well, seven years later, he finally came back.
And apparently, Toronto hasn’t forgotten what it promised.
With Kawhi Leonard officially returning to the Toronto Raptors, the wonderfully ridiculous Ka’Wine & Dine campaign is making a comeback, inviting local restaurants and businesses to dust off their old promises and welcome the city’s favourite basketball champion home.
For anyone who has forgotten just how much fun Toronto was having in 2019, here’s a quick refresher.
Following Leonard’s unforgettable buzzer-beater against Philadelphia during the Raptors’ championship run, the basketball community at Raptors Republic launched Ka’Wine & Dine, encouraging restaurants across the city to offer the superstar complimentary meals if he stayed in Toronto.
What began as a playful campaign quickly took on a life of its own.
Hundreds of restaurants displayed Ka’Wine & Dine stickers in their windows, promising free meals for life. Soon, other businesses joined the fun with increasingly outrageous offers, including free transportation, dental services and even luxury accommodations.
Of course, Leonard ultimately left Toronto for Los Angeles.
But now that he’s back, the campaign has returned with a rather amusing question: Are those free meals for life still on the table?
Apparently, Toronto thinks they should be.
Raptors Republic has relaunched Ka’Wine & Dine, inviting businesses to display updated window decals and celebrate Leonard’s return with the same enthusiasm that helped define the city’s championship summer.
And this time, restaurants aren’t the only ones getting involved.
Toronto’s Aloha Day Spa has joined the growing list of participating businesses with an offer that might be the most entertaining yet, promising that Kawhi’s “quads get lomilomied free,” referencing the Hawaiian massage technique.
Considering how much those legs have contributed to Toronto basketball history, perhaps that’s not such a bad investment.
The campaign is also a reminder of just how unusual the Raptors’ 2019 championship run was for the city.
For a few unforgettable weeks, basketball became everyone’s conversation. Office towers emptied for playoff celebrations, strangers high-fived on street corners, and restaurants, bars and businesses found creative ways to join the excitement.
Ka’Wine & Dine captured that spirit perfectly. It wasn’t an official team promotion or a carefully orchestrated marketing campaign. It was Toronto collectively deciding to have a little fun while showing appreciation for the player who helped deliver the franchise’s first NBA championship.
Seven years later, the sentiment remains.
Whether Kawhi actually takes anyone up on a lifetime supply of restaurant meals or a complimentary massage remains to be seen, but that’s almost beside the point.
The fun is in seeing Toronto embrace one of its most beloved basketball memories all over again.
And if you’re a local restaurant or business looking to join the celebration, Raptors Republic is encouraging participants to download the updated campaign badge, display it in their windows and share their offers on Instagram.
Who knows? Maybe this time Kawhi will finally arrive hungry.
👉 Learn more and join the campaign: https://ka-wineanddine.com/
Follow @kawineanddine on Instagram for participating businesses and campaign updates.
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