Randy’s Take Out, also known as Randy’s Patties, a Toronto staple on Eglinton Avenue West, has announced that it will be closing its doors after being open for over 40 years.
The owners of Randy’s Patties announced that the Little Jamacia mainstay will be closing its doors for the final time on Saturday, February 26. The announcement was met with sadness from the Toronto community with dozens of people coming out and lining up in the cold to get one last taste of their favourite pattie shop.
The shop is so beloved by Torontonians that Drake even offered to purchase Randy’s Patties so that it could stay open.
One Toronto resident said about the closure “I’m very sad, I’ve been living in this neighbourhood since 1991 and I lived off it, every week I would buy myself a box of patties”
Why Is Randy’s Closing?
Randy’s Patties is operated by three brothers, who are the sons of the original owner, Randy. Unfortunately Randy passed away in 2018. One of the sons, Scott, says that he and his brothers have decided to close the store because his two brothers are too ill and old to take on the business.
This forced Scott to quit his career so that he could take over the shop.
There are many other factors affecting the closure of Randy’s Patties. One of the biggest reasons is all of the LRT construction being done on Eglinton which has absolutely devastated the community around Randy’s Patties. Scott also had strong words for the company behind all the construction, Metrolinx, saying that they destroyed the community.
On top of the construction, the COVID-19 pandemic has also had a huge impact on Randy’s. The pandemic has caused the price of ingredients to skyrocket and with the restaurant priding itself on using fresh ingredients and always making their patties fresh, the costs became astronomical.
Combining all those factors lead to the decision to close Randy’s doors. However, if you’re one of the many Torontonians that love Randy’s there might be some hope.
Scott said that Randy’s isn’t going to close forever, at least not yet. What the owners want to do is close temporarily and reassess the business, so that hopefully reopen in the future.
