Local woman launches Freeats.ca to connect Paris residents with dining deals and events

Jennifer and Andrew Spencer sport their Freeats.ca sweaters while attending the Paris Legion’s Chili Cook Off last weekend. Jennifer, with the support of Andrew, launched the online platform in September 2025 to help residents easily find daily restaurant specials and community events happening around Paris, supporting local businesses and bringing the small-town dining scene together in one place.

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

A new online platform created by a Paris resident is helping connect the community with local restaurants, events and entertainment, all in one place.

Launched in September 2025, Freeats.ca is a website designed to make it easier for residents and visitors to find daily restaurant specials, live music and community events happening around town. The site was created by a local entrepreneur who spent years wishing a single hub for local deals and activities existed.

“Well, our daughter was born back in 2002, about the time when people were just starting to use computers and most still didn't have cell phones,” explained Jennifer Spencer, recalling how her family relied on newspapers, bulletin boards and coupon books to find deals. “It was all really fragmented.” 

That early experience sparked the idea for a platform that could pull everything together in one easy-to-use location.

Although the site officially launched last fall, the concept behind Freeats has been developing for more than two decades.

After fifteen years immersed in the restaurant industry as a chef, the Spencer said she had a unique perspective on both the challenges restaurants face and the difficulty customers often have finding reliable information about daily specials and events. So she explored building the platform several times over the years but was discouraged by the high cost of hiring developers. It wasn’t until last year, after losing her job following the death of her employer, that she decided to try again with encouragement from her husband, Andrew. 

“They say, the best businesses are built by people trying to solve a problem,” she said. “You can google how many pizza places there are in Paris but you can't google who has pizza on sale on Wednesday night, or who has live music on Friday.” 

Using tools from Canadian website builder Webador, she built the platform herself and launched Freeats.ca in September 2025. The site organizes listings so users can quickly see daily restaurant specials, live entertainment and community events happening around Paris.

Visitors can browse by day and time—morning, afternoon or evening—before clicking links that take them directly to the business or organization hosting the event.

“Freeats puts daily restaurant specials, live events and larger community events all in one easy to use platform,” she said. “We make it easy for people to find out what's happening in Paris, saving them hours of scrolling the net searching.” 

Information for the site comes from a variety of sources, including restaurants and community groups that submit specials, as well as social media posts, websites, flyers and even local bulletin boards. Businesses can also register directly on the website to add their own daily specials and events, making it easy for restaurants and organizations to keep their listings up to date.

The website is free for restaurants, community organizations and service groups to promote their specials and events, something she says is especially important in today’s challenging economic climate.

“I think tools like these are a wonderful way to support our restaurants by giving them another avenue to getting the word out about all the amazing specials they work so hard to craft for us,” said Spencer. 

That focus on supporting small businesses is part of what makes the project unique in a community the size of Paris, where local restaurants and events play a major role in the town’s identity.

With grocery prices rising and many restaurants still recovering from the effects of the pandemic, she believes every bit of support helps.

“With 50% of Canadian restaurants in jeopardy, we really need to do everything we can to support them,” she added. 

Alongside the website, the platform also includes a Freeats Fan Club newsletter that delivers weekly updates on restaurant deals and upcoming events. Subscribers are automatically entered into a monthly draw for a $50 gift card to a Paris restaurant of their choice.

The goal is to grow the mailing list to more than 1,000 subscribers by this summer. According to Spencer, the biggest reward so far has been the response from local businesses.

“The thanks I receive everyday from our local restaurants for helping to promote their specials and events,” she said. 

Looking ahead, she hopes to expand the platform beyond Paris into other nearby communities once planned upgrades to the website are completed.

For now, the focus remains on strengthening connections within the town she calls home.

“I see Freeats as a community builder,” she said. “Because when you know what's happening where you live, you can participate, contribute, grow our local economy, make real connections and truly feel like you belong.”