David Aisenstat

David Aisenstat was born into the restaurant business. His father, Hy Aisenstat, was one of the giants of the Canadian restaurant industry and founder of the famous Hy’s Steakhouse chain.

After graduating from university, David joined Nabisco Brands, moving quickly through the corporate ranks in Montreal, Toronto and New York. In 1981, David returned to Canada as Vice-President of Hy’s. His contributions to the company were recognized by his appointment first to Executive Vice-President, and then to President of Hy’s in 1988.

During his time at Hy’s, David also played an active role on both the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of Keg Restaurants Ltd. This involvement continued until the sale of Keg Restaurants Ltd. to Whitbread PLC, a large British brewing and hospitality conglomerate, in 1987. Ten years later, and armed with a lifetime of knowledge in the steakhouse market, David seized the opportunity to purchase The Keg Steakhouse & Bar chain from Whitbread in 1997.

David believes that the legacy and enthusiastic spirit embodied in the organization has been a core business value since close friend and mentor, George Tidball, founded the restaurant chain in 1971. That spirit has led David to launch The Keg Spirit Foundation, a charitable organization to focus on causes that benefit children and young people.