After more than 25 years in business, an Italian restaurant in Toronto has to close.
Trattoria Leonardo in Etobicoke has great prices which have attracted loyal customers for years including Doug Ford but have now announced they are closing their doors.
If you go to their website, a little note pops up with little fanfare telling people, “By the way, we will [be] close our doors on August 28.”
Unfortunately, Trattoria Leonardo owner Pietro Benedetti says the closure is not voluntary and is being forced on them by the landlord. He says that the landlord has sold the property and that the new owners want to convert the restaurant into a pharmacy and medical center.
“I’ve been here for 25 years and now we have to close. Even during the pandemic, Trattoria Leonardo has paid the rent. Trattoria Leonardo was a perfect tenant,” Benedetti tells blogTO.
“Unfortunately, as a tenant, you are at the mercy of the landlord. Until last year, the Ford government had an eviction policy in place, and once it was lifted, many small businesses were forced to close. My neighbor Lenny was locked out on May 18, 2021, now it’s my turn to go.”
They will officially vacate the site on August 31st. To make matters worse, he was only notified of the sale of the restaurant on June 10, according to Benedetti, leaving him few options as to what to do with the trattoria.
“Too bad, this is also one of Mr. Doug Ford’s favorite restaurants and I was honored to have him and his family at my place,” says Benedetti.