The Matchcover Storyteller

It says so right on the matchcover itself  —  “A Toronto Dining Tradition”, and so it is.  The Senator is one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in Toronto.

 So, first, the matchcover:  I have only found two for The Senator.  One is a 20-strike, rear strike matchcover; the other is a matchbox.  Both are this pale yellow on forest green, a simple design..

 As for the restaurant itself, it opened in the late 1920s.  The two-story building had started life in 1860 as a private residence, then The Busy Bee.  It was one of a flurry of eateries opening up near the already venerable Massey Hall, and the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres on Yonge Street, not to mention vaudeville stages abound.   The Busy Bee prospered primarily as a lunch counter, a quick and easy place to grab a bite, though it wanted that after concert/after theatre crowd as well.  It changed hands a few times until enterprising cook George Nicolau bought it and in 1948 renamed it  – The Senator.  Along with a redesign, in 1949 he applied for one of the first liquor licenses in Toronto The Good.

 And so it went with the Nicolau family until Bobby Sniderman bought it in 1984.  If you recognize the last name, his dad was Sam Sniderman  — Sam The Record Man.  It was Bobby who did another redesign, opened a spot at Niagara’s Fallsview Casino (no longer there), started a farm to source food including their own Royal Canadian Honey, and created on the second floor, “Top O’ The Senator”.  These reno’s also uncovered a lot of original 1860 ornament and décor that remains visible today;.

 A word about “continuously operating”:  The Senator did close for some time during the 2020 Covid pandemic, but came roaring back as the danger diminished.  In the interim they cooked for St. Michael’s Hospital and the Dixon Hall Shelter.   Sniderman notes the neighbourhood has changed, but The Senator stays busy.