Though it only opened in 2019, Toronto's GarfieldEATS restaurant quickly became the stuff of legend. Whether it was the Garfield-shaped pizzas, the Garfuccino coffees or one of the many other cartoonish products, people had a lot to say about this unique spot. And now it has shut down for good following a landlord dispute.
GarfieldEATS issued a characteristically colourful press release describing the scenario:
GarfieldEATS closed its storefront last Monday (we hate Mondays anyways), but aggressively continues with its e-commerce operations selling merchandise and Frozen Big Cow Lasagnas only which you can throw in the oven anytime; removing all other menu items and specializing in lasagna, one popular product everyone loves, so as Garfield since 1978. No landlord can take that recipe away from us. Who needs another brick and mortar anyways! No one is looking to open-up, but rather work digitally and smarter.
The store's fearless leader Nathen Mazri said, "It is sad to see restaurants closing, but we live in an era of shifting economies and transition from information society driven by tech. We must embrace it while landlords still live in the past."
He continued: "We have always paid the rent and ready to disclose bank statement and proof of transfers made to the landlord since the lockdown in March 2020, but he wanted more, more, & more. He is simply greedy after we updated his entire filthy building."
While they still might open another real-life store in the future, the plan is to keep selling Frozen Big Cow Lasagnas online.
Mazri has attracted plenty of controversy since opening GarfieldEATS in Toronto last year. Read Exclaim!'s recent (and unbelievably long) interview with the Garfield-shaped pizza mogul here.
Read some tweets as Canada mourns the loss of GarfieldEATS below.
GarfieldEATS issued a characteristically colourful press release describing the scenario:
GarfieldEATS closed its storefront last Monday (we hate Mondays anyways), but aggressively continues with its e-commerce operations selling merchandise and Frozen Big Cow Lasagnas only which you can throw in the oven anytime; removing all other menu items and specializing in lasagna, one popular product everyone loves, so as Garfield since 1978. No landlord can take that recipe away from us. Who needs another brick and mortar anyways! No one is looking to open-up, but rather work digitally and smarter.
The store's fearless leader Nathen Mazri said, "It is sad to see restaurants closing, but we live in an era of shifting economies and transition from information society driven by tech. We must embrace it while landlords still live in the past."
He continued: "We have always paid the rent and ready to disclose bank statement and proof of transfers made to the landlord since the lockdown in March 2020, but he wanted more, more, & more. He is simply greedy after we updated his entire filthy building."
While they still might open another real-life store in the future, the plan is to keep selling Frozen Big Cow Lasagnas online.
Mazri has attracted plenty of controversy since opening GarfieldEATS in Toronto last year. Read Exclaim!'s recent (and unbelievably long) interview with the Garfield-shaped pizza mogul here.
Read some tweets as Canada mourns the loss of GarfieldEATS below.
If GarfieldEats being driven out by a landlord doesn't make you a Maoist I honestly don't know what will
— pull out king (anti-condom) (@pissGoblin) November 12, 2020