Restaurant Comings & Goings

[Midtown Urbanist]

Yeah, Salad King became the dominant option for reasonably priced, consistent, casual Thai spot along the Yonge strip. Although, I'm curious how they're faring. Especially now that there's going to be less students, office workers, and tourists around. Being a 2nd floor operation, they also don't have an opportunity for patio presence. I imagine they've been relying heavily on takeout and delivery app services.

I am sure they'll be okay. There was always a constant stream of takeout and delivery picking up orders throughout the day whenever I was there.

 

[Northern Light]

Spring Rolls' heyday was around 2006-2015 or so. I remember eating there when it was a pretty popular spot back then, but they definitely fell off when other higher quality Thai restaurants opened up downtown. They had a takeout and pick up window inside the Atrium that seemed to do alright, but I can imagine with much less office workers nearby they're taking a major hit with the pandemic.

Their quality tanked.

The dishes changed at some point.

I'm not sure if there was an ownership change.

But I used to enjoy their Singapore Noodles as one of the best in the City.

Last time I went, it wasn't the same dish at all............and not remotely appetizing.

They has also changed out their 'Spring Rolls' which were really decent with a great, sharp, dipping sauce.

They became generic, greasy and with sauce that had less appeal than a fast food plum sauce.

Haven't been back since.

They were never haute cuisine.

But they did the basics quite well; until they didn't.

 

[JasonParis]

They also suffered from the common issue of over-expansion. They won't be the first popular fast-food Thai restaurant to sort of disappear - remember Green Mango on Yonge + Hayden where Pizzaiolo is now?
AoD

For what it's worth, the Green Mango still has its Kingsway location.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

For what it's worth, the Green Mango still has its Kingsway location.

But it looks like it's a sit down a-la carte (with linen!) restaurant now, not in the cafeteria style the downtown store used to be.

AoD

 

[JasonParis]

The Kingsway location was always sit-down. So yes, a bit of a different model than Yonge. Although, at one point, Yonge had two Green Mangos across from each other - one sit-down and the other cafeteria.

 

[Towered]

For what it's worth, the Green Mango still has its Kingsway location.

And I can confirm that the food quality has noticeably gone downhill over the years. Used to be decent, but last time I went it sucked.

 

[Towered]

Their quality tanked.

The dishes changed at some point.

I'm not sure if there was an ownership change.

But I used to enjoy their Singapore Noodles as one of the best in the City.

Last time I went, it wasn't the same dish at all............and not remotely appetizing.

They has also changed out their 'Spring Rolls' which were really decent with a great, sharp, dipping sauce.

They became generic, greasy and with sauce that had less appeal than a fast food plum sauce.

Haven't been back since.

They were never haute cuisine.

But they did the basics quite well; until they didn't.

This seems to sum up the phases that a great many restaurants go through. Explode onto local scene with huge buzz, crowds line up to dine, open further locations to take advantage of momentum, get complacent, cut corners to save costs and increase profits, allow quality control (and often hygiene standards) to decrease, attendance declines, hype disappears, restaurant goes bankrupt. With so many examples of this narrative occurring through history, I'm frequently baffled as to how many proprietors continue to repeat it. I think a lot of restaurant owners lack common sense when it comes to maintaining the integrity of their product. When they have a hit they get lazy and assume that people will simply continue to show up even after the initial signs of rot start to set in. They're wrong each and every time.

 

[JasonParis]

It's common in a lot of the local pizza chains too. Amato's went from best to worst in a decade, then folded. Pizzaiolo was having a similar trajectory but may have redeemed themselves recently.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

This seems to sum up the phases that a great many restaurants go through. Explode onto local scene with huge buzz, crowds line up to dine, open further locations to take advantage of momentum, get complacent, cut corners to save costs and increase profits, allow quality control (and often hygiene standards) to decrease, attendance declines, hype disappears, restaurant goes bankrupt. With so many examples of this narrative occurring through history, I'm frequently baffled as to how many proprietors continue to repeat it. I think a lot of restaurant owners lack common sense when it comes to maintaining the integrity of their product. When they have a hit they get lazy and assume that people will simply continue to show up even after the initial signs of rot start to set in. They're wrong each and every time.

Some of these restaurants also have issues with the original proprietors not being able to manage the new stores properly - and as family run businesses they probably wouldn't know how. I guess some of them always see it as a get rich and get out kind of scheme (don't blame them necessarily for thinking that way given how risky the food service business is in general).

AoD

 

[Towered]

It's common in a lot of the local pizza chains too. Amato's went from best to worst in a decade, then folded. Pizzaiolo was having a similar trajectory but may have redeemed themselves recently.

Hadn't heard that about Pizzaiolo. As far as I can tell, they're still by far the best corporate pizza chain here, though perhaps they've reached that age where they're vulnerable to a sense of complacency...

 

[Videodrome]

Frankie Tomatto's is on the verge of closing down for good. We used to go there every New Year's Eve.

 

[ShonTron]

I am sure they'll be okay. There was always a constant stream of takeout and delivery picking up orders throughout the day whenever I was there.

Hong Shing, a staple of the "Old Chinatown" on Dundas near University, cleared its seating area long ago for room to package and sort takeout (mostly app-based delivery) orders. They did just fine. I suspect Salad King did the same.

 

[Johnny Au]

Hadn't heard that about Pizzaiolo. As far as I can tell, they're still by far the best corporate pizza chain here, though perhaps they've reached that age where they're vulnerable to a sense of complacency...

They rebranded itself as the Pizza Maker's Pizza. After all, a pizzaiolo is a pizza maker by definition.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Hong Shing, a staple of the "Old Chinatown" on Dundas near University, cleared its seating area long ago for room to package and sort takeout (mostly app-based delivery) orders. They did just fine. I suspect Salad King did the same.

Honestly I consider sit-down at SK glutton for punishment - between the crowds and the noise - no thanks! Takeout all the way since the remake..

AoD

 

[AlbertC]

Hua Sang Seafood Restaurant in Baldwin Village has closed:

https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/comments/iipdvh