Winchester Hotel battle brews

[adma]

Fast food chains are actually on the defensive in my area (koreatown / bloor west) McDonalds closed and KFC is either rennovating their tacky box corporate aesthetic or preparing to leave.

I'd say it's more the nature of the existing outlets that's being abandoned. In KFC's case, the 60s-style "suburban box" is obviously anachronistic. W/McDonalds, it's more that these snazzy supersized urban outlets are relics of the 70s/80s when it was more of a sitdown "family" choice than now. Today, an urban McDonalds/KFC is more likely to be a hit'n'run standup/storefront operation. (Archetypal/prototypal case in Toronto: the classic 80s-urban-good-manners 2-story McDonalds on Yonge S of Adelaide where Grand & Toy is now--replaced by a "storefront" in the retail strip N of Adelaide...)

Interesting question: what 70s-style "urban McDonalds" remain? I can think of Yonge N of College and Bloor across from the Libeskind Crystal...

 

[JoeyCuppa]

Just saw a thing about this on CityPulse...

Am I right in thinking that the Hotel is on the SW corner of Winchester and Parliament? Because there's a horrible CoffeeTime on the NW corner.

CoffeeTime attracts a far worse element than Tim's. Check the one at Gerrard & Parliament, the one at Gerrard & Woodfield, the one at Gerrard & Coxwell. Homeless people all over the place, or white trash fighting/smoking out front.

I think the cabbagetowners may just be upset it's not a Starbucks.

 

[adma]

I think the cabbagetowners may just be upset it's not a Starbucks.

Naw, I'd imagine they think Starbucks is as bad, if not worse (at least on a count of its being a Yankee "import"). And of course, we mustn't forget Dooney's vs Starbucks--a battle worth fighting in the Annex is a battle worth fighting in Cabbagetown, no?

Methinks it's more a community/arts/cultural-centre Gladstone/Drake future Cabbagetowners are wishing for--and note that those joints have no coffee joints what-so-evah. Mealsothinks that their hotsy-totsy attitude t/w coffee is that depending on your needs, Jet Fuel or Coffee Time or that gas-station Tim's is perfectly fine, like it or lump it. (Note: you can read the above as a critique of Cabbagetowners as well. I provided for flexible interpretation.)

 

[shawnmicallef]

Joey> That coffee time is in a nothing building. Nobody would care if TH was going into a "regular building".

That said, that coffee time on the NE corner has this lovely older woman running it at night. She says "just a second honey" and such.

 

[JoeyCuppa]

Thanks Shawn... I'm not that familiar with Cabbagetown yet (although I've been biking through it lately).

I think everyone should be thankful that the Winchester is owned by someone who cares about restoring it. Even if it's not going to be a hotel, it's better than a parking lot, or a Tim Hortons surrounded by a parking lot.

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

Interesting question: what 70s-style "urban McDonalds" remain? I can think of Yonge N of College and Bloor across from the Libeskind Crystal...

Bayview and Eglinton comes to mind. Although I hear even that one's days may be numbered. Also, is the one at King and Dufferin still there? Used to go with my parents and count streetcars by type.

 

[shawnmicallef]

Adma> The Drake actually has quite a good coffee shop on the beaconsfield corner. i've had some lovely americano's there, on the patio, and used the free Drake WiFi. Note, the cafe also has this thing called "starving artist hour"...like happy hour for food. cheap, and it's the usual drake stuff, so it's pretty good.

I recorded Rick Salutin talking about the Dooneys-Starbucks battle - you can listen here if you want:

murmurtoronto.ca/place.php?277655

The Dan Yashinsky story is also about the battle.

 

[JoeyCuppa]

Re: McDonalds - the Bayview/Eglinton one isn't urban at all - stuck there all by itself. There was a thread on here a while ago about a condo going on that corner... don't know what became of that.

There's a McD at Yonge/Eglinton that's urban, right beside an urban BK.

J.

 

[bizorky]

In Kingston, Tim's did a nice job fitting a store into a heritage building. So they are capable of doing so. Would I rather see something more interesting and unique? Sure.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

"Bayview and Eglinton comes to mind. Although I hear even that one's days may be numbered."

Wasn't there a proposal last year for an 8 or 9 storey condo to replace it? Too bad every thread older than 20 pages is deleted...

 

[adma]

Also, is the one at King and Dufferin still there? Used to go with my parents and count streetcars by type.

K&D Mickey D. still there--though it's less of an "urban" McDonalds than a suburban transplant.

I guess re the overall "virtuous grottiness" of Coffee Time, anyone remember their York & Pearl location, smack dab in the financial district? It was a dump; yet it always seemed full of life, office workers, idling bike couriers etc--it had a true "placeness". Then it closed, to be replaced by the Presse Cafe, sleeker, cleaner--and deadsville. It flopped. Now the space is waiting for its next tenant--and please, by God, let it be in the Coffee Time rather than the Presse Cafe spirit...