You ever go into a ’50s style diner and just feel like something is off? That it just isn’t authentic? From the less-than original colour-scheme, to the black and white photos of Elvis next to Madonna. Not quite right
Some gearheads have a real love for old diners because of the connection to mid-century car culture. A sense of nostalgia for an era they never lived through. For middle-aged TV babies who grew up on ‘Happy Days‘ these restaurants remind them of Arnold’s.
Maybe Fran’s used to be a local hangout back in the day, but now it’s smack dab in the middle of downtown Toronto, across from the Eaton Centre. There’s no parking lot to hang out in, smoking cigarettes, arranging late-night drag races. In fact, getting street parking directly in front of the restaurant was a miracle.
Fran’s Restaurant was launched in Toronto in 1940 with a small 10-set diner on Yonge St, and by 1950 the College St location pictured here was opened. After 75 years, they’re still in the same spot, but everything around them has changed.
Fran’s doesn’t need checker-board floors or a jukebox to create a ’50’s vibe. It was built in that era, so everything about it is original right down to the lightbulbs on the art-deco awning and the flickering neon sign. Rather than the same old black and white photos, Fran’s is decorated with art that celebrates its place in Toronto history.
The menu is, of course, 50s and 60s comfort food. Fran’s still makes their own rice pudding in house daily.
The counter is in the same spot, and legend has it that Canadian pianist Glenn Gould used to hang out eating scrambled eggs at 2:00 am, back in the day. . But Fran’s hasn’t been a 24-hour diner for some time. And while parking a ’55 Bel Air would draw some stares, the connection to car culture has faded. It’s more of a time capsule than anything else now.