The restaurant on King St has sat unopened for 30 years. 
Frozen in time. Confounding visitors.
No closed sign on the door, but inside, everything remained, as a shrine. 
Owner Sue Wong, who died about five years ago - at 103! - left the restaurant as it was after her husband died in the 70s. She was a well-known recluse and kept meticulous records of everything. And threw out nothing from the restaurant.
including all operating manuals
bottles of unopened popunopened packages of paper placemats
Her grandson, who later oversaw the restaurant, encouraged its use for movie and television sets. The West Wing used it as an ice cream parlour. Robin Williams was there for a movie. So was Richard Attenborough.
But, finally the time to move on. A new owner has been found who will treat this local landmark with the respect he hopes the Wongs would appreciate.It will reopen as a Thai restaurant with the DeLuxe name included (and the refurbished sign if possible)
An auction of EVERYTHING was scheduled
An auction of EVERYTHING was scheduled
Which brought dozens of locals and dreamers from far away 
for a final visit
memories of who sat in which favourite booth, 
which flavour ice cream went where
and to wonder that it was all still there, for a few more moments.
and I don't know why blogger won't allow pictures to biggify
I don't know if I was ever in this restaurant when young, though I remember being dragged coming to Dundas to visit family friends. Would we have stopped here, though? I may be mixing it up with memories of another small town diner. I mentioned to a woman that I wasn't sure I had been here, she took one quick glance at me and said: no, you are much too young. Bless her.
and, no, I did not buy, or even bid on, any of the antiquities at the auction!
What a great place...
ReplyDeleteToo bad it'll be forever changed. I wish these places could remain intact forever.
Jazz: I know, but at least it won't be sitting empty any longer. I imagine anyone who took it over would have to renovate to code. And seriously update that kitchen!
ReplyDeleteA pity it couldn't have stayed as a sort of museum but everything moves on I suppose
ReplyDeleteBerni: I think many people hoped most of the things would go to the Dundas Museum, and some may end up being donated. It was great for for movies as they didn't need to get any props!
ReplyDeleteFantastic, love the old milk shake machine! In some parts of NZ this place wouldn't look out of step at all!
ReplyDeletewow - what a great old place -- too bad it will be completely redone (well, except for those parts).
ReplyDeleteSagittarian: even those small, cozy booths?!
ReplyDeleteChar: yes, it will be very modern looking judging by his other restaurants.
Ah, I like that comment, that you are much too young!!
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame they couldn't have left it as a museum of sorts, but I guess real estate is real estate.
ReplyDeleteHi Violet
ReplyDeleteI am still being able to enlargen other peoples shots if their resolution is high enough. What are you posting at?
Happy days
Fantastic time capsule, it is almost a shame to change any of it, but it is good that it gets reopened with some respect to the previous owners. I wonder about those soda bottles. Would the still have been good after all these years? Museum pieces!
ReplyDeleteJeannette: that was sweet of her - since by 1979 I would have been 21!
ReplyDeleteGeewits: that would have been nice - but this is a small town of about 20,000. having some of it donated to the museum itself by the new owner would have been a nice gesture (tax write-off, too).
Irene: ha, some of us were wondering that, too! I wouldn't have been the one to test it. The new guy seems to realize how much this place means to the town, but a lot can happen between now and then.
ReplyDeleteDelwyn: this has never happened before. I tested all the photos before 'publishing' and they embiggened, but afterwards only 3 would. all were condensed to 'document' size, as usual, and none were cropped. very strange.
Looks like we were both visiting old restaurants! It is too bad that the new owners couldn't incorporate the entire old store...what a great story!
ReplyDeleteI never could figure out why some photos can be embiggened and some can't...right now I am trying WindowsLive Writer...
Forget the restaurant, I want to know how she made it to 103!! There's the real story.
ReplyDeleteEven those cosy booths! Honestly, the further South you go over here the more you have to put back your calendar! Do you know we still have some settlements in the far North where they don't have electricity! (No joke, its true)
ReplyDeleteOliag: a weekend for nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteand I can't get Live Writer to work. sigh.
XUP: I know! for a recluse she was apparently well loved in town.
Sagittarian: so shopping for antiques would be a non-starter, then?! wouldn't like the lack of electricity.
That's pretty strange, that it sat there so long. There must be some great stories generated in there.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of our cottage (sorry). The owners sold it to my parents for $10,000 and walked out. They didn't move a single item, not a salt or pepper shaker, nottin. That was 1963, and there are still quite a few items from them that remain.
Ruth: it is a long time to be paying taxes on a "shrine". you'd think her husband would have wanted the business to continue to bring pleasure to so many people instead of sitting there, feeling useless. but then maybe, as with the cottage, no one in the family appreciated it as much as the original owners.
ReplyDeleteHow did it stay so clean? Or did a cleaning crew go in there before the auction? I wonder if Mrs. Wong dropped in on a regular basis and wielded her little feather duster. Guess you'll never know. I hope the new owners keep the most interesting elements.
ReplyDeleteNot even a bottle of 7up, Sanna?
Susan: all the things for auction had to be sorted and put into lots and displayed for the preview. plus it has been used for tv and commercials over the past few years.
ReplyDeletenope. not even a 7UP. I am proud of my restraint.
Wonderful story from the memory lane.
ReplyDeletechrome3d: it was an interesting place. and fun to see the reactions as memories came back while walking though the preview.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting story. And I wondered too how it stayed so clean or are those pictures of just before the auction. A marvelous timepiece though. MB
ReplyDeleteI love your post about textures--just great. MB
MB: Thanks. Yes these are from the auction preview, I stayed for about an hour or so of the auction itself.
ReplyDeleteHow very poignant. It's like something from Nevil Shute's 'On the Beach'.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool place! I would have been tempted to bid on something.
ReplyDeleteLinda: I never thought of that...
ReplyDeleteGina: I never said I wasn't tempted!
a thai resturant, hmm, that will be very unique. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletekRiZcPEc: it certainly will be unique for Dundas, though I saw they now have a Sushi restaurant.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame it had to end.
ReplyDeleteMeggie: I know - and an ultra modern restaurant will be a bit of a shock.
ReplyDelete