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Captain John's Restaurant (1975-2012)

I've never been to Captain John's but I've heard a few stories, none of them all that great. I've been on several corporate affairs on smaller, modern boats that sail around the lake & waterfront, have good food and entertainment so sitting stationary on an old boat never really appealed to me. His rusting boat could be considered iconic by some but I think it's time for the Captain to retire, drag that wreck out of there and then move ahead with the revitalization of the area. I do hope that he can sell it off at a good price, all accounts indicate he's a nice enough fellow and he worked a hard, honest living for several decades at the foot of Yonge St so it would be nice to see him pay off his debts and retire comfortably.
 
W. K. Lis said:
Maybe time for Restaurant Makeover to be sent here. But could end up as a kiss-of-death.
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Way back in this thread, but this is actually the kind of project that RM would do well. Normally I hate RM projects because they seem to want to make the same restaurant over and over again (same look, same very pared-down menu) despite the original intent of the business. Here, they could give it a quick once-over superficial reno, update the menu, and that's it. I get the feeling that the owners never really put their hearts into the business, which is guaranteed failure for a restaurant.
 
I really don't get the attraction of Captain John's. There are plenty of other, better restaurants on or near the lake, and they aren't hampered by being shoved into a rusting ship. Apart from kitsch, what is the draw?
 
Sell it to a movie studio. Let them push it into the lake and torpedo it, strafe it or just bomb it.
Sink it and make it a recreational dive centre.
 
I can't wait to see this leaky old tub disappear. It's one of the last painful reminders of the dreary harbour front that I remember as a kid from the early 80's. It really is a horrid obstacle to to getting things moving down there. I want a gorgeous waterfront to enjoy before I'm dead, dammit!
 
themarc said:
The Marine Museum is looking for a new home - would be a nice fit.
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That would be neat. Move it over to where the Malting Silos are, put the marine museum in the ship and it plus whatever eventually happens to the silos will create a great addition and destination to the waterfront.
 
The_Architect said:
That would be neat. Move it over to where the Malting Silos are, put the marine museum in the ship and it plus whatever eventually happens to the silos will create a great addition and destination to the waterfront.
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That sounds like an interesting option to explore.
 
The problem is it seems the owner wants 1M for the hulk. I think it would be a great museum and the silos would be an inert location for it - but its going to take big bucks to take it back up to a usable condition - sadly.
 
The ship itself isn't really historically important, correct? Apart from being a kitchy waterfront relic, does it have any preservation value on its own?
 
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