Le Gourmand at Y & E closed down--due to non-payment of rent!!!!

[Ediblethoughts]

I went there today looking for a Friday cookie and the notice on the door and the chairs on the table inside with only a couple people (from LG or the landlord--not sure) cleaning some of the equipment or something---------so my go-to cookie place near home is GONE!! How does a chain like LG let this happen? (Wondering if anyone has been to any of the other locations of late--are they still going?)

[Hanoodle]

It's closed at Yonge and Bloor as well! I'm so sad, that was my daily coffee and breakfast place. It's shocking that they would have closed down...they had long line ups at breakfast and lunch everyday. It doesn't make any sense.
Does anyone know if they are closed for good?

[magic]

Anyone missing Le Gourmand's fabulous but extremely inconsistent chocolate chip cookies would do well to check out Miss Cora's Kitchen at 69 Kensington Avenue, in Kensington Market. Similar in taste and style to Le Gourmand's but never burned or raw, as occasionally Le Gourmand’s can/could be. They are similar and they are fantastic.

[Ediblethoughts]

But they are too far away!!! Sigh.

[magic]

I guess it's a bit inconvenient depending on where you live no doubt. But they are worth it, especially if you get them fresh! Mmmmm.

[sasgirl]

I know, I was surprised too! At lunch they would always have a long lineup! There are notices that they are behind in rent.

There's a quote from the owner on a website - “The Yonge and Eglinton location didn’t work out for various reasons,” owner Milton Nunes tells us. “The area wasn’t ready for it. Everyone in the building just bought half-a-million-dollar condos, so they can’t afford to come buy their $3 coffees in the morning.”

http://www.torontolife.com/daily/dail...

[Ediblethoughts]

That is a strange analysis or excuse for not doing well. Y & E has a huge lunch crowd and they have money for expensive coffee! I'm a bit puzzled on why they didn't succeed.

[basileater]

Those folks from the condos were across the street buying coffee at Starbucks for $5 instead of buying coffee for $3 in Le Gourmand. Telling themselves the area "wasn't ready" for their upscale product sounds a little bit deluded. Too bad, I was a fan of their products.

[liger]

Yonge and Bloor and the Spadina locations have also closed - because of rent issues.

[abigllama]

This sucks so bad, there's no place left to get those cookies in town. Seems odd that they all have a failure to pay rent issue. Can't blame that on condo dwellers in all 3 locations. The Bloor location always seemed to have a line up.

My partner used to stop there frequently on they way to work around 2PM but the selection star to dwindle and he'd drop into Longo's instead when that opened. What a shame as it was a great standby for me to grab something on the way home.

[magic]

If you liked their cookies go to Miss Cora's Kitchen in Kensington Market.

[magic]

Wow.... even the Spadina location?? Cripes.

[thelordflasheart]

It's too bad that they got a reputation for bad service - while I'll admit the service could be slow (I've seen several people get frustrated and leave after standing in a non-moving line when they had to get to work) it was usually down to the same few staff members. But there were some great people at the Spadina location and I feel very bad for them. Hopefully they know how much they were appreciated first thing in the morning and they get new jobs quickly.

I think we need to start a Facebook page pushing for their cookies to be sold offsite...

[abigllama]

I'd love to see those cookies resurface somewhere! I will check out the ones in Kensington Market in the meantime. Was just there yesterday and forgot about Miss Cora's!

[thelordflasheart]

I was at Miss Cora's this morning and can confirm that the cookies are indeed similar to Le Gourmand's. Not as big or dense, and I liked that the Le Gourmand ones were always a little underdone, but still a passable alternative. If you were to base the price on weight these are more expensive but the fact that they're smaller might be better for my waistline...

[magic]

If you happen to get them on the cooling racks, still warm..... sweet mama are they ever good....

[pamplemoose78]

I'm so disappointed! What am I going to do without the flourless chocolate cookie, called the nookie cookie.

It was my favourite treat to go with a yummy latte. Sigh.

[wontonfm]

Ummm the owner sounds like he's making excuses. People these days are hard-wired to buy $3 coffees. Must be another story...

WON
http://whatsonmyplate.net

[estufarian]

So that's what happens when Joanne Kates rates it as one of the top 10 new restos of 2009!

The (fading) power of the mainstream press.

Of course, it was never a top 10 candidate anyway - at least not at the end of 2009.
Very expensive (but good) sandwiches/wraps/salads. I know I'm blowing my own horn - but on my visit within the past month, my comment was that this wouldn't survive 2010!

[abigllama]

I've noticed that the LG on Bloor seems to have less stuff than usual. They're open until 7 but seems like after 5 they're out of most stuff. Used to stop by and pick up dinner sometimes but it's been a bust in the last couple of months. It doesn't seem any busier so assume they're just not making as much stuff. Hope they're doing ok because I would go berzerk if those cookies went away.

[sarnya]

It's exactly the same at the Richmond/Spadina LG location. They're open until 7pm... by the time 5pm rolls around, there's nothing left in there.

I live and work in the area and love their cookies. In the past, they've replenished their baked goods around 2pm but lately they haven't been doing that. I used to be able to go in later 5pm and still get baked goods but now if you don't go in the morning, you don't get them at all.

[abigllama]

That's a shame there's obviously some sort of cut backs happening. My partner bartends in the evening and would stop by there around 3ish to pick up dinner for later. He was just saying he's stopped going because unless you want a wrap there's not a lot of options and it all gets plowed over at lunch time.

Shame because these cut backs will drive their regular folks away and he was one of them,

[Ediblethoughts]

At the Y & E location there was usually quite a bit at 5pm. Maybe that's part of the reason they went under. But there's a balance of too much and too little at that time of day...

[Boodah]

I'd guess it happens by not turning a profit. That's a very not-cheap location to rent.

[Full tummy]

Was it a franchise?

[Ediblethoughts]

I really don't know. I assume based on just how similar this one was to the other one I went to (the one near Richmond) that it is. But I really don't know.

[Pastryrocks]

No it is not a chain. It's to bad if this location is down, is/was their prettiest location.