Sobeys at CityPlace open. Our first thoughts

So we went grocery shopping at the new Sobeys at Spadina and Fort York. (Yes, even neighbourhood blogs need to shop for food, it's what fuels our volunteer efforts to bring you news about QQ).

There's been a lot of interest in this location since we first reported about it back in January. CityPlace is dying for a place to buy more than just what Rabba provides for. And those without cars, there aren't much choices.

Here's our first take of the shopping experience.



As we entered, we instantly were wowed by the sheer size of this one compared to our other Sobeys at York Street. The Fort York location is definately bigger. There's a wine store near the entrance (not wine rack) and we saw that they had dedicated quite a lot of space to ready-to-eat meals and sides. Maybe that's what us urban folk need: people to cook for us.

Produce: Took us awhile to navigate the area, but they have all the usuals, and in plentiful supply. Produce was in decent shape, fruit not over ripe and plenty of choice. We noticed a lot of 'exotic' fruit and veg were available, like plantain and dragonfruit. Also a large amount of space for veggies typically used in Asian cooking, not surprising considering the clientelle.

Bakery: A little more selection than in the York St. Sobeys, and a few buns and pastries not offered there. We like the mix of packaged, 'freshly baked' and loaves from places like Ace Bakery.

Prepared foods: They have a vibrant sushi making station at one of the entrances (we're interested to see how that works out.) The length of an entire aisle is dedicated to salads, entree like items (like panko crusted chicken)_and they were carving some sort of roast pork. Food looked okay and lots of people were eyeing the food.

Seafood/Meat: Impressed by the selection of beef, pork and chicken, with different cuts (from grilling steaks to formed hambuger). The seafood is a little sad in comparison, a big chest of frozen seafood but some fresh.

Aisles: Pasta aisle is quite stacked, and the others have the usual stuff, but in pretty good supply. A few sections again targetting Chinese clientele. Definately well stocked right now.

Frozen food: Yep, plenty. Nuff said.

Customer service: People are a little too friendly, and we were accosted by three wandering employees looking to sign up people to Club Sobeys. Okay, we were lured in by the promise of Aeroplan points. The cashier stations also included, at least on Saturday, baggers, so that's pretty nice.

Okay, it's a grocery store. Plain and simple. A pretty good one and if it gets the business we hope it gets, the produce and meat departmnet should showcase good quality groceries.

What did you guys think? Like it, love it?

Sobeys at CityPlace opening next Friday, June 26

So, the day you've all been waiting for is fast approaching. We're a little sad that there won't be more reasons to write about the Sobeys Urban Fresh at Fort York and Spadina, near Bremner. In fact, we're pretty happy we first reported on it in early January so it's been a long wait.

Today, we got this flyer from Sobeys and it announces June 26th as the opening day. Here are some details
Hours: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
7 days a week
Number: 416-623-5111

And you will get a FREE cooler bag with every purchase (until they run out, that is).

So, who's going to go next Friday. If we don't make it out there, we expect you fine QQL readers who have been checking this site the past six months to report back. You will, won't you?

Reader tip! Sobeys at CityPlace opening on June 26th

Thanks so much to reader Stephanie for doing a little reporting in the neighbourhood. She saw our most recent post on the Sobeys at Fort York and Spadina and gave us this news:

My husband and I were doing our own investigation last week (June 5th) and when we went up to the entrance, the automatic doors opened to reveal a security guard. We asked her if she knew when they were opening and she said with real certainty in her voice, "June 26th". We are so excited!

Thanks Stephanie. So there you go, in three Fridays, expect the Sobeys to be open, which is only a week off from what we were guessing. Let the neighbourhood shopping begin!

(And by the way, we appreciate any tips, just send them down through the comments or to queensquaylife@gmail.com.)

Sobeys at CityPlace and Bremner/Fort York: Coming soon, but when exactly?

We strolled past the new venue for the Sobeys Urban Fresh at Fort York and Spadina today and noticed a few things that you could find interesting

• First, that despite the Coming Soon signs plastered all over it, we still don't know when it's opening. On a building permit we spotted back in April, it called for a building completion date of June 19 (which is in two Fridays).
• They've already stocked the non-perishable aisles (ie bottles, cans, packaged goods) and there are at least seven aisles in the store. From looking inside and comparing it to the location at York and Queens Quay, we think this new one is actually bigger.
  
• We see near the entrance work still needs to be done but it looks like they're ready to roll. There is either a salad bar or, maybe more likely, some sort of pick your own olives area. We see what looks like to be a bakery at the (which was confirmed since we know they were looking for people to work in their bakery department.)

So, who else is excited we're welcoming another grocery store to the neighbourhood? We predict very brisk business.

Sobeys on Queens Quay: Not a tourist destination?

If you go to the Queens Quay Terminal website, you'll see that they're open "7 days a week". We take that to mean that it's open every day. True, you can go to Pearl on holidays for dim sum.

Thanks to a reader for tipping us off to what he saw on the Toronto City Council blog. The council voted against a change to the by-law that would have allowed the Sobey's to open on holidays.

Well, that's a shame for residents. Okay, we're not tourists but it'd be nice to have it open since we have so little infrastructure down here. Nice to see that our local councillors (Vaughan and McConnell) voted for it.

Under the current by-laws, the Tourism Area Exemption includes "The Eaton Centre and The Bay Queen
Street Store; Queen Quay Terminal; the Downtown Yonge BIA; Bloor Yorkville BIA and The Distillery District." (Background document) Clearly, there are those who think not all of the services in the Terminal is not considered tourism. Downers.

Following is from the city council.

Holiday Closing By-law Amendment Defeated
City Council has voted against a proposed amendment to the Holiday Closing By-law that would have allowed the Sobey's store at Queen's Quay Terminal to open on holidays.

The vote was 13-20 as follows:

YES Augimeri YES Carroll YES Davis YES Filion YES Jenkins YES McConnell YES Mihevc YES Milczyn YES Palacio YES Perks YES Rae YES Vaughan YES Walker

NO Ainslie NO Bussin [Chair] NO Del Grande NO Di Giorgio NO Feldman NO Fletcher NO Ford NO Hall NO Holyday NO Kelly NO Lee NO Lindsay Luby NO Minnan-Wong NO Moscoe NO Nunziata NO Ootes NO Pantalone NO Saundercook NO Shiner NO Stintz

Sobeys at Cityplace: Jobs and services

No, this isn't Sobeys week at QQL, but we did find out a bit more about the new store opening up later this year. (June, the permit says, but who knows, it could be sooner).


We saw on jobloft.com that there are 10 positions opening for the '4 Spadina Avenue' which has been used as the address for the Sobeys store at Fort York. These jobs were posted in the last week (see them here)


From what we can see, it'll be very much like the Urban Fresh store at Queens Quay and York Street:


A deli
Deli clerk - Serve customers including slicing, cutting, weighing, packaging and pricing merchandise (eg. May include taking orders for nibbler trays and preparing trays). Prepare food for resale (pizzas, quiche, and meat and chicken pies, etc) and record cooking logs.

A salad bar 
Salad bar - Create salad trays. Assist in serving customers including slicing, cutting, weighing, packaging and pricing merchandise (eg. May include taking orders for nibbler trays and preparing trays).
 
A bakery
Bakery clerk - Greet all customers in a friendly, courteous manner and respond to customer requests and phone orders (eg. cake orders)
 
Produce and grocery (duh)
Grocery clerk - To assist in maintaining the grocery department which includes replenishing and rotating dry goods and frozen merchandise, ordering and receiving product, training new employees and assisting customers with their requests and inquiries.
 

Sobeys at Cityplace and the need for grocery stores

So, we get LOTS of traffic to this blog for people searching for, say "Sobeys at Bremner" or "Sobeys at Fort York" or "Sobeys at Spadina". In fact, we're seriously thinking of dedicating a week or series of posts just on Sobeys since you're all so interested.

We walked by the construction site last week and it looks like it'll really take up to the June 19th completion date we saw on a building permit a few months back.

Here's a shot of the front area we took.



But in all seriousness, we think it's just another sign that we really need more grocery stores in this area. For Cityplace alone, they're only really served by a Rabba at Blue Jays Way, an M&M Meat Shop across the street on Front, a Fresh & Wild at King Street, but even that's a little more than walking distance for condo dwellers.

On Queens Quay, we've also got a Rabba at Rees and the Sobeys at York Street. People with more adventurous streak can go to the Loblaws on Jarvis but hey, we feel bad for the poor people who have to carry bags for two kilometres!

Yes, there are smaller markets at Bathurst, York and a Kitchen Table at Yonge but people want to stock up with real selection of groceries.

For our dollar, the Sobeys at Queens Quay is doing a great job serving the neighbourhood -- it's big enough and has the traffic to have a good turnaround in produce and meat, although the fish selection, we'll we're not sure. The deli counter and hot food area is really big -- do we really need pre-prepared food? And a nice touch -- a bakery!

Confirmed: Sobeys Urban Fresh at CityPlace (Fort York)

We were walking by the CityPlace neighbourhood, west of Bremner, on Fort York beside Spadina. We can now confirm that work is just starting on the Sobey's Urban Fresh, just like we mentioned a little while back. According to a permit on the front door of the building, the project will take about 20 weeks to complete.

It started in late January and the estimated time for finishing is June 19, 2009. Interesting side note is that it says the costs will be $850,000.

Regardless, this will be a major addition to the neighourhood, and will likely be also used by Queens Quay residents. If you live on Spadina or west to Bathurst, the Sobeys at York and Queens Quay is a good kilometre to mile away. Meanwhile, if you live at CityPlace, you have a Rabba's, the Fresh & Wild on King Street and the M & M Meatshop. We think this new store will introduce a little more competition and variety.

Meanwhile you can admire the storefront of the Sobeys at Queens Quay.

Another Sobeys Urban Fresh?

Update: (1/31/09) Speaking with friend who lives right above the site where construction on the Sobeys is well under way. The Sobeys would serve the Cityplace buildings, just to the east and west of Spadina. This is huge for the neighbourhood as it has not too many options within a few block walk. There's the Rabba on Front Street near the Rogers Centre and the Fresh and Wild at King St. and Spadina is pretty busy, but still too far to lug around a tonne of groceries.

Original Post (1/05/09): Is another Sobeys coming to the waterfront area? Not technically part of the Queens Quay neighbourhood, they are north of Lake Shore at Bathurst and east of the Exhibition is developing quickly with quite a few condos going up the area. (see map)


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We were looking through building permits for the neighbourhood and it looks like in development, if not already in latter stages, near opening, is a Sobeys store in Fort York

Issued on Nov. 14, 2008
Ward 20: Trinity-Spadina

Application#: 08 201018 HVA 00 MS
Issued Date: Nov 14, 2008
Project: Multiple Unit Building Building Permit Related(MS)

Description: HVAC - (inc 2 kitchen exhasuts) Interior alterations to portion of ground floor (new condo with commercial building) for new grocery store. Unit 1. Convenience address - 22 Fort York Blvd. Tenant - "Sobeys".

Judging from the small format (a unit in a condo) and the need for kitchen exhaust, it could be a Sobeys Urban Fresh or Express. We know well the Sobeys Urban Fresh store at 207 Queens Quay (The Terminal at York and Queens Quay). It's a small-format store for the East-coast based chain that does "ready to serve, 'fresh fill-in' and 'today's meal' market. We gleaned that from their corporate website. Clearly, with 181 of these smaller stores, they're smartly going after urban markets.

Now if only they'd build that Loblaw's at Lakeshore and Bathurst they've talked about forever.