This week, Toronto will bid a fond farewell to an important – and infamous – piece of its dessert-based history. The final location in the Just Desserts chain, which once boasted three dozen locations during its ’90s heyday, will shut down this weekend at Yonge and Wellesley.
To many Torontonians, the company was best known not for its “super” waffles or boozy coffees, but for an armed robbery at the Annex location in 1994. On the evening of April 5, three men entered the franchise at Davenport and Bedford and demanded cash and jewelry from patrons. Georgina “Vivi” Leimonis, a 23-year-old hairdresser on a date with her boyfriend, was fatally shot during the holdup.
Despite the crime-scene connection, the chain thrived for several more years, and the Yonge and Wellsley location stuck around to become a perfect time capsule of ’90s Toronto (martini menu, red booths, curly chandeliers), though Torontonians have since moved on to other sources for their late-night snack fix. If you’d like to bid a fond farewell to your favourite Just Desserts treat, they’ll remain open through the week before that curly pink sign goes dark for good.
nataliam@nowtoronto.com | @nataliamanzocco
