cloney time commentary

For awhile, it's been in the back of my mind to take the digital beast out on the town to snap shots of all of the former Coffee Time locations that haven't done much to mask their former identity. Coffee Lime, Coffee Tim, Coffee Tip...the city's full of them, ripe with humourous possibilities.

Alas, I've been beaten to the punch. Here's the result, now merged into the Not Fooling Anybody site of buildings with thinly-concealed former lives a(mostly as fast-food outlets).

There are a few spots on the site from Toronto and Detroit I'm familiar with - here's some comments (go to the index page to find them):

La-Shish (Wayne, MI - formerly Taco Bell) - never been to this branch of the popular Metro Detroit middle-eastern family restaurant chain, but it would be an improvement over a run for the border. Amy and I usually go to the location on the Dearborn/Detroit border along Michigan Ave, where fresh smoothies and monster salads make our stomachs happy.

Coffee Time (Toronto, ON - formerly Dairy Queen) - right on the edge of the Gerrard India Bazaar, better known as Little India. There's another Coffee Time in the index, a former Harvey's at St. Clair and Caledonia that screams of the Harvey's I used to go as a kid. Wonder if that Coffee Time found any old orange plastic forks or iceburgers...

Chinese Hut (Toronto, ON - formerly Pizza Hut) - location in the middle of electronics/cheap furniture alley. Not far from Bad Boy. How many people do I know that have gone to Chinese Hut? NOOOOOOOBODY!

Harty Market (Toronto, ON - formerly Hasty Market) - pass by this often on the way down to the Danforth, Riverdale or Little India. Not far from Coffee Lime. Chains aren't lucky in this nabe near the Leaside Bridge.

Country Site Cafe (Toronto, ON - formerly Country Style Donuts) - near the Gladstone Hotel, on a rapidly-changing stretch of Queen. Predict building will be gone within the next decade.

Ranch (Monroe, MI - formerly Ponderosa) - Monroe's halfway between Detroit and Toledo, noteworthy as a War of 1812 battlesite and hometown of General Custer. Eaten here a couple of times, last time on the way back from Cleveland a few years ago. Like our favourite Monroe restaurant, Quattro's, it took awhile to find it on that trip - could never remember if it was on Telegraph or M-125 (old US 25, which goes through downtown).

Sak & Run (Toronto, ON - formerly 7-11) - I know I've seen other Sak & Run locations, which were either old 7-11s or Mac's. The more common 7-11 conversion around here is Starbank (Queen & Broadview). 7-11 seems to be changing its location strategy in TO, with locations opening in or near downtown as they close in the burbs - two have opened in my nabe in the past six months.

If I see some obvious ones that aren't on that site (and the camera's handy), we'll feature them.

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