Located at the corner of Queen Street East and Beech Avenue is a Beaches Landmark - the Garden Gate restaurant - affectionately known as "the Goof". Locals know it got this name when the neon 'd' in the iconic "Good Food" sign burned out and the two words were strung together.
What is not widely known is that the restaurant is said to be haunted! A former waiter, Kevin, had worked at the Goof from the 1970's and up until a recent renovation that saw the restaurant lose its open kitchen format, jute box consoles in the booths and some say a bit of its charm ! He was distraught and snuck in the night before the reno to salvage one of the jute box consoles as a keepsake. But he didn't notice the power was still connected and he was electrocuted cutting the wires. Chicken Chow Eeeeeow !!! Ironically the police said the wet floor that Kevin had mopped floor at the end of his shift made for a great conductor.
While all the jute boxes and the central player system were removed in the reno, staff who work late often say they hear the echos of faint music coming from the front room .. tell tale 60's, 70's and 80's tunes like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Toronto bands like Platinum Blonde, the Spoons .... all played a little warbley and creepily just like that old equipment echoed in the beach far away in time (oh! that reminds me of Martha and the Muffins - another great TO band!). They say its the Goofy ghost trying to get his quarter's worth!
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