Danforth diner stays devoted to decades-old philosophy of low prices, community-first
In high school, Jim Syrbos was eager to get his own bright red uniform and start mixing hamburger meat at Square Boy, his family’s diner on the Danforth.
But at first, his father refused.
“He wanted me to go get an education and go get a job … a job outside of the restaurant,” Jim said.
In 1984, Mike Syrbos bought Square Boy on Danforth Avenue near Jones Avenue, just a year after Jim was born, and about a decade after he immigrated from Greece to Canada.
Mike’s fundamental philosophy was simple, but it's what shaped the diner into an institution. He wanted Square Boy to be a place anyone in the neighbourhood could feel comfortable grabbing a burger and fries or souvlaki and pita.
Square Boy burgers. (Provided by Square Boy)
“It wasn’t the best part of town in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s,” Jim said. But that was the beauty of their business. “We wanted to keep our prices low so anyone could come and have a meal….not just a certain type of person.”
At 26, after spending five years in a corporate job, Jim was finally given the chance to scrape souvlaki off the grill, scrub toilets clean and indulge in the “dirty work” he came to appreciate as the foundation of the restaurant.
“I can't in good conscience tell someone to do something knowing that I've never done it before, or know how difficult it might be,” he said.
Square Boy (Hannah Alberga/CTV News Toronto)
Eventually, just three years ago, he reached the rank of co-ownership, just before his father retired and the industry entered a tumultuous period spurred by the pandemic.
To navigate through, Jim firmly gripped onto his father’s initial philosophy.
While many restaurants were forced to lean on third-party delivery services, particularly during dark lockdown periods, Jim made an executive decision to entirely eliminate delivery. He wasn’t willing to alienate their customer base by bumping up their prices.
As supply chain issues plagued the industry, forcing the cost of food to surge, again, Jim was determined to keep his prices as low as possible, the most significant increase being under a dollar.
Even compared to Square Boy’s specials decades ago, the prices of their chicken souvlaki ($7.75), chicken burger (5.50) and hamburger (5.50), all paired with fries and pop or pita, have only climbed a couple of dollars each.
“Especially in the last six months, our bottom line has been affected a lot, but we were conscious of keeping our prices low,” Jim said.
Square Boy (Hannah Alberga/CTV News Toronto)
Their indoor dining is still marked off by blue tape, but even without the experience of sitting in a booth, immersed in the controlled chaos of souvlaki sizzling on a grill nearby as employees in matching red caps flip burgers behind the counter, Square Boy’s clientele has remained fiercely devoted to the institution.
“During the worst time, we've had a loyal group of people that were coming in...I don't think we can thank the community more,” Jim said.
“I wish I could shake or hug everyone that comes in to thank them.”
ABOUT TABLE TALK
Table Talk is a weekly CTV News Toronto series that explores the people who shape Toronto’s food scene, published every Friday at CTVNewsToronto.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.