The gentrification of the formerly industrial Dupont strip continues westward with the renovation of the old Angelo's Diner (aka Howland Diner, aka AAA Chinese) at 268 Howland on the corner of Dupont.
Leanne Martineau and her husband, Stephen Hancock, moved onto Howland three years ago and with her history in the food industry, had her eye on this space ever since. Her husband had grown up in the area and used to go to Angelo's, which had been in business on the corner from the 1940s up to the 1970s or early 80s. "It was always a space in the neighbourhood where all the kids would go for their French fries," Martineau says.
When AAA Chinese moved out this past spring, Martineau and Hancock, along with business partners Sarah Baxter and her husband Reid Pickering, who owns
The Feathers pub in The Beach, contacted the landlord, Chris Chaggaris, Angelo's son, and made a deal.
The $250,000 renovation expenses, which include putting in a full-sized basement, re-doing the interior complete with custom-made furniture by Jason Davis Design/Build, as well as recladding the small structure in brick, were split between landlord and tenants.
Martineau and Baxter will manage the restaurant, to be called
Fanny Chadwick's, after a historical Annex figure Martineau uncovered, and will be hiring four wait staff and five kitchen staff for the planned mid-January opening.
The flooring was installed and kitchen appliances were moved in this week.
The restaurant will be relatively upscale, with main dishes between $15 and $25. And the neighbourhood kids, in recent years mostly from
Royal St. George's College down the street? "It's not going to be a particularly attractive space for them to hang out," Martineau says. "There's certainly enough of that on Bloor Street."
"The development on Dupont -- a lot of designer firms, little intricate shops, especially closer to Spadina -- has certainly taken hold," Martineau says, "and it's just a matter of time before it continues on."
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Leanne Martineau
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