Yesterday’s at the corner of Sparks and O’Connor has closed to be replaced by a new restaurant.
Sparks Street patrons wait with baited breath to see what will replace Yesterday’s restaurant, a longtime staple of the pedestrian mall that closed earlier this month.
Rumblings on Twitter and other social media point to Dunn’s as the new eatery that will occupy the landmark space, but this has not been confirmed.
There is no final plan in place, according to a source at Dunn’s on Elgin Street who doesn’t wish to be identified.
"There have been a lot of rumours," says Les Gagne, executive director of the Sparks Street BIA and mall authority.
Gagne says it’s possible that a well-known restaurant may open under a different name and launch a new brand on Sparks Street.
Yesterday’s restaurant closed its doors on March 9 after a 60-year run at the corner of Sparks and O’Connor streets. The family-style restaurant that lasted three generations was a meeting place for government officials, tourists, people working downtown, families and friends.
"We used to seat 250 to 300 people in the summertime and we were always busy. It became a hub," says co-owner Murray Macy.
"Yesterday’s was really a landmark restaurant for Ottawa," says Stuart Ages, grandson of co-owner Joseph Ages.
It was the energy, ambience and attention to patrons that led to the restaurant’s long-term appeal, Macy says.
"We cared about the small things. The cleanliness, the decor. We were particular about freshness and quality. We greeted our customers, said hello and goodbye to them."
Ages says the restaurant that was a fixture in his family for generations will always carry fond memories for him. He attributes its success to the owners’ business acumen, particularly their careful financial management and attention to detail. But what set it apart was the fact that it became more than just a business.
"It was a centre of my life, it was a lifestyle," Macy says.
The historic building that housed Yesterday’s was first built in the 1870s, and is the site where Irish Catholic journalist Sir Thomas D’Arcy McGee was assassinated.
Before becoming a restaurant, it housed Bryson Graham, one of the city’s largest and oldest department stores.
Joseph Ages and Murray Macy opened a restaurant on the site in 1954 under the name Sharry’s, the name of Ages’ daughter. In 1978 the restaurant was transformed into an eatery that resembled Toronto’s then-trendy Mr. Greenjeans and was renamed Yesterday’s. The new concept, complete with a plant-filled décor and food served in big baskets, had not been seen before in Ottawa.
Although the restaurant remained successful for decades, there were a number of challenges that it faced in recent years. Greater competition from new enterprises in the area, ongoing construction and renovation on Sparks Street as well as changing expectations from tourists made things more difficult for them, Gagne says.
Macy says he hopes that Yesterday’s will be remembered as a place where families simply enjoyed food and one another’s company.
"I have people coming up to me who say I remember when my grandfather brought me there. I do enjoy when that happens. It was a great run, a wonderful run, until it was time for the old lady to retire," he says.