Chocolate cafe that started in Montreal has permanently closed all Toronto locations
Every Toronto location of a Montreal-based chocolate and dessert shop that opened to big hype has now closed.
When Montreal cafe, chocolate and dessert shop, Cacao70, opened the doors to its first Toronto location back in 2015, the excitement among the city's sweet-lovers was palpable.
Known for their toothache-inducing crepes loaded up with melted chocolate, decadent waffles and expansive array of chocolate shakes, the cafe is an oasis for chocoholics and dessert people alike.
Now with Canadian locations in Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Barrie, Canmore, Saskatchewan, Halifax and Edmonton on top of international forays with locations in Senegal and Guatamala, it's safe to say that the dessert chain is at the top of its game, that is, except for in Toronto.
Where the chain once operated a number of locations in the city, including spots in Scarborough, the Distillery District and on Queen West, there is just the memory of the flowing fountains of chocolate that could once be found there.
After locations in the city slowly fizzled out, the Distillery District restaurant, which was the first to open, was the last to hang on until also finally shutting down earlier this year and being replaced with gluten-free bakery, Jardin.
While Cacao70 did not respond to blogTO's request for comment on why the chain did not seem to be able to survive in the Toronto market the way it has elsewhere in the company, the owner of Cacao70 at Toronto Premium Outlets, now the nearest location for Toronto chocolate-lovers, offers some insight.
"All [Cacao70] locations are franchises," they tell blogTO, meaning that the chain didn't abandon the city intentionally, but rather each individual location shut down for their own reasons.
The owner tells blogTO that, while they don't know the specifics of why each location shut down, they believe "low volume of sales," alongside the lasting impact of the pandemic could be to blame.
There's no word on whether Cacao70 will make a comeback in Toronto, for now, so you'll have to venture outside the city to Halton (Toronto Premium Outlets) or Barrie to get your next chocolate fix.
Cacao70
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