After 33 years the iconic Flo’s family diner in Yorkville is being forced to shut its doors following a leasing dispute with the building’s landlord.
Co-owner Pierre Hamel said the decision to bid farewell on March 31 is “heart wrenching.”
It has been at its current location at 70 Yorkville Avenue for more than 33 years. Flo’s started in February 1991 at another location nearby.
Hamel said a legal dispute with the landlord reached its climax this month when Flo’s was denied the opportunity to extend its lease and not offered a new one.
And Hamel and his co-owner Peter Lau continue to be perplexed by that.
“Unfortunately, this is a question that I don’t understand . . . Maybe he has plans for the building. I don’t know. But right now we’ve been successful. We’re a thriving business. We came out of COVID really, really strong and we would like to stay as long as we can.
“It’s heart wrenching. Flo’s for me and for a lot of my staff is way more than a restaurant. It’s a place where stories are told, people grow. Some of our employees have been here for 30 years with me. My business partner, we started together as two employees 31 years ago. It’s really been an emotional roller coaster. It’s also the home of my employees that have been here for a long time. We have really high retention because my staff is really well treated and they love the place.”
The business has 15 employees who will be looking for work.
“When COVID ended, all the employees came back here except a couple who were part-time. But they all came back because Flo’s is their home. They’re happy here.”
Retail Insider reached out to the landlord but did not receive a response.
Flo’s operates in 2,109 square feet with seating of 87 inside and 47 outside on a patio.
Hamel said the company is looking for new space but that is challenging.
“Right now the area that we are in is in big transformation, meaning that there’s several buildings coming down and coming up. So there are few available places. We haven’t found anything so far,” he said.
The name Flo came from the mother of the original founder of the business years ago.
Hamel said it’s been months since he has had any discussions with the landlord.
“It’s a done deal but we’re hoping that maybe good media press will make him reconsider,” he said.
Flo’s legacy will be as a place where families, devoted locals, A-list celebrities, and political figures that included mayors, premiers, and even prime ministers, came for breakfast and brunch.
“This legal challenge means we’re losing 15 valued staff members and hundreds of cherished patrons. We’re devastated and hopeful that the landlord will reconsider its decision not to renew our lease,” added Hamel.
Entering Flo’s was like stepping into a scene from a classic film – adorned with checkerboard floors, art deco counters and stools, plush leather-bound booths, and walls decorated with diner memorabilia.
Flo’s was anything but ordinary. With one of the highest staff retention rates in the city, “Once you worked at Flo’s, you stayed at Flo’s,” remarked veteran line cook Suresh, who has been crafting burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches for over a decade.
A perennial breakfast favourite among three generations of food enthusiasts was Flo’s Eggs Benedict, complete with a generous dollop of velvety hollandaise sauce and crispy home fries.
Young or old, everyone felt at home at Flo’s, where babies and young kids were never a bother.
“Our patrons are like family to us, and we are endlessly grateful for the vibrant memories and shared experiences. Each person who dined here was – and still is – part of the Flo’s family,” said Hamel.
In 1988, Hamel made the journey from Quebec City to Toronto with the aim of mastering English.
“I arrived with the goal of improving my English and found myself working as a busboy at 4’D Diner, which later evolved into Flo’s Diner in 1990 under the ownership of Bersani and Carlevale,” he said.
In 1994, Hamel became a partner in the renowned brunch spot at 10 Bellair Street. By 2000, Flo’s had relocated to its current location at 70 Yorkville Avenue, featuring a picturesque rooftop patio and lines stretching out the door. Lau became a partner in 2008.
Throughout the years, customers blossomed into friends, with many starting families and sharing life milestones with the owners.
“Just recently, a couple who frequents our diner pointed to one of our patio tables where they had their first date. Now, five years later, they’re expecting their first child. These stories epitomize what Flo’s is all about. It wasn’t just a place of business; it was a sanctuary for gathering, sharing stories, and laughter. We take immense pride in our incredibly loyal patrons,” said Hamel.
Very sad. I remember going to the first one in my 20’s
I meant in my 40’s
The current face of both restaurants and retail in Toronto have taken a huge transformation that is gives us nothing. We can thank the greed of the current landlords for this. Gone are the days of all the amazing independent retailers and restaurants that you could travel to by foot for miles. We are being left with nothing but condos where the occupants shop and eat where? The entire footprint of Yonge/Bloor is now a very sad one with no reason to go there.
Extremely upset to hear the sad news of the closing of Flo’s diner and the loss of a family diner, which is a must in Yorkville if one does not want to dine but wishes to have breakfast & lunch etc. etc. Obviously, this landlord does not care about Yorkville area, Flo’s patrons, the need for such a long, popular business, tourism and is probably taking the stand of non communication re: the renewal of Flo’s lease because of greed. It is so sad that the people who patronized and still patronize Flo’s Diner have absolutely no say, as is the case with so many ugly glass blocks going up in the City, which is too expensive for many people. If this landlord has any sense of righting a huge wrong, let him do so now!
So Sad
I was a go to for my Friends and Staff from our Salon on Bellair.
Steven
Sad to hear this. The landlord owes the entire community an explanation. I hope the story gets major interest from the local press.
Is it possible they could reopen in a new spot? At all? I mean, Pusateri’s is available…..a bit big (and probably really expensive…Callii Love’s old spot is available too (but probably too small).
I am saddened and shocked to hear that our beloved Flos Diner in Yorkville is being forced to close after 33 years of service to its loyal and grateful clientele. There was nowhere
quite like Flos.
We were all welcomed with a big smile and made to feel part
of a big extended family, tended to with warmth, great service, delicious food and witty banter.
At a time when everything we recognize and hold dear is fast disappearing under the heaving pile of concrete towers,
modernity and the increasing greed of landlords, Flos
offered us hope that we still mattered.
It was a sanctuary, an oasis, a place worth visiting even if it meant traveling a great distance by train, which my Aunt and I have done regularly for years to meet there.
Flos was Yorkvilles last breath! It is now I recognisable.
My Aunt and I want to say Thank you to Pierre, the wonderful manager, and all the staff at Flos for including us in their downtown Yorkville community all these years.
It is the end of an Era!
We have been going to Flo’s since 1991. It will be a great loss! I hope you both can relocate.
Thank you both for years of warmth, great service and great food.
Thank You all.
Make you wonder why the landlord said no to renewing the lease. Must be greed because if it wasn’t why not speak to the press and explain yourself. I understand they don’t have to, but this could lead to a bad rap for the landlord and their holdings around the city, if any exist
I was in Yorkville today and saw an empty Flo’s Diner! I hadn’t heard that they closed back in March. That’s another one bites the dust bummer re: iconic Toronto places being forced out of existence! Grrrrrrr. Was looking forward to grilled cheese and fries and maybe a vanilla milkshake. I hope you find a new location!
I lived in Toronto for a year back in 2010 and clearly remember the wonderful place that was Flo’s. Classic diner decor and food, casual ambience and great staff. I really, really hope they have found somewhere else to continue their legacy.