Residents of one Toronto neighbourhood are going to have to travel a little further to get their daily schmear fix as Kettleman’s Bagel is shutting down one of its major locations in the city.
Do you remember that old story from history class about John Cabot arriving in Newfoundland and reporting back to the King of England that cod in the bay were so bountiful that one could walk across the water on their backs?
It used to be a similar scene around Yonge and Eglinton, only instead of fish, it was bagel shops.
Nowadays, though, not unlike the analogous cod, the numbers in the neighbourhood seem to be on the decline. First it was a location of Nu Bugel, a brand that has since appeared to fold completely. And now, bagel fanatics in this corner of the city can, unfortunately, add Kettleman’s to the list.
Officially landing in Toronto back in 2021 with a bakery in Etobicoke, the Ottawa-based chain drew a near-instant cult following from residents the city over, including more than a few ex-Montrealers who still claim the Ontario-made bagels are almost as good as the real thing.
Kettleman’s went on to open additional locations across the city and beyond, setting up shop on Bathurst and around Yonge and Eglinton, all in short succession.
As of recent, though, their ranks have fallen by one: the Yonge and Eglinton location has officially closed its doors for good.
A representative from Kettleman’s tells me that the business was approached by a company that sought to either purchase or take over the lease on the site of the restaurant (this was not made clear).
“We’re confident they will do amazing things with it,” the representative notes, adding that they have no further information on the closure to provide at this time.
On the bright side, though, the closure doesn’t seem to signal any greater system failure for the chain at large, as they just recently opened their eighth location, a smaller-scale collaboration with Kitchen Hub in Vaughan.
“We are very happy and excited to be in the Vaughan neighbourhood and become a staple in the community,” the representative says of that move. “It’s also a fantastic opportunity for us to reach new guests, and we’re looking forward to growing even more with smaller satellite locations to meet the demand.”
The other Toronto locations in Etobicoke and on Bathurst also remain open for business, so you’ll just have to venture a little further south or west to fill that Kettleman’s craving.
That, or you could visit one of the bounty of other bagel shops in the neighbourhood, like Kiva’s or, a little further north, Bagel House.
Kettleman’s Bagel was formerly located at 40 Eglinton East.
