The owner of popular Toronto restaurant, Caplansky’s Deli, said he was “absolutely heartbroken” after his landlord terminated his College Street property’s lease Monday night.
Zane Caplansky said he received a call at midnight on Monday saying the alarms were going off inside the restaurant located at College and Bathurst Streets. He arrived at the deli a short time later to find the notice and a locksmith changing locks.
The notice said the restaurant’s lease was terminated, “effective immediately,” because of failure “to effect repairs not authorized by the landlord,” under the Commercial Tenancies Act.
Caplansky said the bailiff was inside and told him he could not be on the property.
On Tuesday morning, Caplansky posted a photo of the notice on Instagram. He told CP24 that he has been paying rent every month for seven years at the College Street location and he’s not sure why his landlord wanted the lease terminated.
Caplansky said he is in the process of getting a lawyer to fight it.
“I’ve got 55 people who work for me, whose families and livelihood depend on me,” he said, “and I can’t survive.”
The deli on College Street is also where Caplansky’s runs his catering business and keeps supplies for his food truck. For now, he said, both are not running.
“Our food truck is sitting next to the restaurant dormant because we can’t operate it,” he said. “The food is inside and it’s going bad.”
Caplansky said his Yorkville and airport restaurants were not affected.
His landlord has refused to comment.
“What I care most about is my good name,” Caplansky said. “And if this (landlord) wants to… if he’s challenging my good name then he’s gone too far.”
The restaurant, which has been a Toronto staple for almost a decade, made headlines in May when Beyonce ordered $3,500 worth of deli’s smoked meat sandwiches for her crew after her Formation tour show.
