Oliver and Bonacini can’t be stopped. The restaurant consortium—which recently announced two new restaurants in the Bell Lightbox—is opening yet another outlet in the city. This time, it is one of the company’s café grills, which will take up shop in the space vacated by Shopsy’s at Yonge and Front Streets. With restaurants in Blue Mountain, Oakville and Bayview Village, the Oliver and Bonacini Café Grill is the casual (and more affordable) yin to Canoe’s posh yang. The downtown location is slated to open on March 15, 2010.
Company partner Michael Bonacini says the reason for the distant opening date is that the company won’t officially take possession of the space until the end of August. As the man overseeing the construction process, he is planning a spacious decor with a simple chocolate and white colour scheme. Like the three existing cafés, the new location will have a menu that combines American and Italian fare: panini, burgers, salads, pastas and the popular wood-fired pizzas. In addition to lunch and dinner, breakfast will be served every day, and a 150-seat patio will be installed.
Opening three new spots at once is a bold move, but Bonacini bounced back from initial worries when he looked at the numbers. “I would be telling you a big fat lie if I said the recession wasn’t a concern,” he says. “But we’re only eight to 10 per cent below sales compared to the same time last year, so I’ve been way more optimistic in the past month than I was in January. I’ve got my mojo back.”
The 33 Yonge Street spot is a prime location for bringing in tourists: it’s located across from the Hockey Hall of Fame and within walking distance of Union Station, the St. Lawrence Market and the Air Canada Centre. It certainly makes sense for Oliver and Bonacini to jump on the space; its casual-dining status won’t compete with neighbouring Acqua and Colborne Lane, and this is definitely a step up from other Front Street offerings, like Spring Rolls and The Old Spaghetti Factory (though there will always be a place in our hearts for eating spaghetti in a streetcar).
This area has no shortage of patios, but the food generally comes deep-fried after arriving at the kitchen in a giant pail. A Firkin at the Flatiron – seriously?
Can’t wait to eat some decent food next summer spring in the sun. If anyone can make this spot work, it’s O&B!
July 20, 2009 at 10:49 am | by JoshThey’ll never be better that Shopsy’s!!! $7 for a great meal!
July 20, 2009 at 11:30 am | by PeterShopsy’s had an awesome lunch take out menu. Under $8.00 for a sandwich, drink, and salad. You could change it up a bit and still be under $8.00.
Long Live Shopsy’s.
July 20, 2009 at 11:36 am | by KRS2ANOTHER LAND MARK GONE I CANT BELIEVE THAT SHOPSY’S IS GONE SO SAD AND YES I AGREE NO ONE CAN COPMPARE TO SHOPSY’S OLD SCHOOL FEELING
July 21, 2009 at 12:31 pm | by steveI AM SO SAD TO SEE IT GO
I DONT THINK I CAN EVER GO TO THE NEW RESTERAUNT I MEAN ITALIAN THERE ARE TOO MANY
THAT FOOD IS SO COMMON
UGH
oh yeah, steve. so common. compared to sandwiches, which are very rare in this city.
July 21, 2009 at 1:43 pm | by TODotFoodieIsn’t the Old Spaghetti Factory on The Esplanade and not Front? And what about Biffs as an alternative? I’ve always had great food and service there. Now, mind you, I’ll be happy if another great option opens up!
July 21, 2009 at 4:40 pm | by Lisathe food never was as good as the real Shopsy”s..Lets hope they get rid of the 2 stairs at the entrance and make it accessible.
July 21, 2009 at 5:48 pm | by donIt’s sad to see yet another classic Toronto institution forced out. Sure, Shopsy’s wasn’t the fanciest of places with the city’s most avant-garde fare. But it wasn’t trying to be that. It’s where you went for an inexpensive but reliably good home cooked style meal. Such places are few and far between in our grand city these days.
Shopsy’s continued to be busy until its final days. So what if a few posters here didn’t like their food. Thousands of other Torontonians did. The most heartbreaking part of the Shopsy’s closure story is that dozens of its Front Street employees no are without jobs. I can think of at least 10 off the top of my head who worked there for over 15 years.
I know this because I was an employee 10 years ago. I spent over 2 years with the crew and while working there wasn’t always easy (it was busy, fast-paced and manic at times), it was always rewarding mostly due to the familiar smiles of regulars and the encouraging smiles of the enduring staff. I continued to frequent the establishment long after my days of employment and often was greeted with grins from those with whom I’d worked back in 1998. The list of those who served over 10 years of time at Shopsy’s included kitchen staff, bartenders, servers and bussers. In an industry where the average employee’s term is usually shorter than the lifespan of a fruit fly, it is clear something about Shopsy’s kept many staff happy.
I had the pleasure of meeting the new owners a couple of years ago, long after my days as an employee, and I can’t say enough good about them. They seem like gracious, fun-loving operators, who seemed to genuinely care about their staff and patrons. Perhaps they were aides in keeping the long term staff on board even longer.
Either way, it pains me to see Shopsy’s go. I respect O&B and acknowledge they have put a solid impression in the food industry in the GTA but I feel it was a dull move on their part to ambush the little local deli meat hero. It’s like a reverse McDonald’s syndrome is taking over the city. On every corner are these highish end bistos that really all are doing the same thing at the cost of a pretty penny. In this economy we need our tried and true Shopsy’s platters!
I will miss you and your greasy but great latkes, Shopsy’s!
July 22, 2009 at 1:33 am | by E.T.[...] Source; Toronto Life [...]
July 23, 2009 at 9:18 am | by Local Quickfixx – July 23 | Spotlight Toronto : MusingsI don’t know about being forced out….. as far as I know the landlord didn’t want to renew the lease with the current owner. End of story. No lease, no restaurant.
July 29, 2009 at 6:34 pm | by BTO&B isn’t italian… and will be wayyy better than Shopsy’s just you wait! And Yes Biff’s is an alternative but its owned by the same company O&B… will be a great place… look forward to all the local business they will be stealing from the rest of Toronto :)
June 1, 2010 at 10:22 am | by Jen A