Paying for lunch with a framed drawing sounds like a long shot, but for Toronto artist Reissa Lee, it is becoming a weekly routine.
The 25-year-old has been walking into restaurants and asking managers to trade a meal for an original artwork she made for the business. So far, she has documented four attempts on social media under the series title “come get rejected with me?”
“It is kind of nerve-wracking though if there’s a lineup behind you and you’re trying to pay with a piece of paper,” Lee told CTV News.
Typically, Lee says which restaurant she is outside, describes the piece she made specifically for it, then goes in to introduce herself and make the pitch.
Her latest attempt, posted Sept. 3 on Instagram, was at Lambo’s Deli near Trinity Bellwoods Park. Lee brought an illustration called “Deli Beli World,” featuring just over half a dozen blue humanoid sandwiches.
The video has drawn more than 135,000 views and over 7,000 comments.
“I’m more like, ‘What do I think they would like and they would appreciate?’” Lee said of the piece.
Justin Leon, co-owner of Lambo’s Deli, said the exchange was an “immediate yes.”
The framed illustration is now hanging at the Bellwoods store, and Lee left with two Italian Trio sandwiches.
“As a small business, we understand how much of ourselves goes into what we create. There’s a person behind the work, and that matters,” Leon said.
“Reissa’s art now has a place in our shop as a reminder of the kind of community we want to be part of: one where people support one another, celebrate each other’s talents and make genuine human connections.”
Lee said the idea grew out of repeated rejections last year, when she asked restaurants if she could hang her art inside without offering a trade.
“I’ve always gotten a no, but I thought maybe if I traded one-to-one craftsmanship of art for food, because I feel like food is an underlooked craft, that one-to-one respect is great,” Lee said.
She said the project is also helping her build confidence.
“With my art beside me, it can kind of speak for me in a way. And being rejected and persevering — I feel like that’s something you can only learn, it’s rarely taught,” Lee said.
“It’s very hard to handle. You get rejected, and then you mope for like a week. But you just got to get back up and keep going.”
Lee has been drawn to art since childhood, and said it became a serious passion in high school when she was introduced to new mediums.
So far, she has focused on restaurants along Dundas Street West, a route she often cycles or walks to visit friends. She said she is open to trying other Toronto neighbourhoods and plans to approach a new business once a week.
Lee said she wants to seek out spots that feel distinctly Toronto, which she holds “very dear” to her heart as a born-and-bred Torontonian.
She also hopes the project shows her range as an artist and leads to future collaborations.
“I could do things for people on the fly and create ideas for places and surprise them,” she said. “Although they didn’t ask for it, I feel like the best surprise is the one you didn’t expect.”
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