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| - Let's talk first about the least important aspect of the Great Canadian Bagel at the Toronto airport, the food. It's fine. Bagel sandwiches and paninis. They also serve alcohol.
Now let's move on to the interesting things about this place. It's the only eating/drinking establishment in the long, stuffy, suffocating hallway that houses way too many gates with not enough seating in a basement-like wing of the airport. The place consists of 4 bar seats and a couple of tables with a couple of little old ladies that run the joint. I ordered a beer from one of the bar seats and worked on my computer while my flight was delayed for a second time. When finished, I asked if I could settle up. They said yes, but they only took cash because their credit card machine wasn't working. Fine. I had some Canadian money to spend, so I paid with that. I walked to my gate to see that my flight was delayed another 2 hrs., so I returned to my bar seat and began to work again, sipping on another beer.
As customers came and went, they all went through the same routine. "Cash only". "Do you accept US money?" "Yes" and as they hand back change, "Canadian change only". Some people dug through their purses and pockets for cash, coming up short and walking away. Some said all they had was plastic. The lady at the register would look back to see if their food was in mid prep, if it was, she would say "Well, let me try it, it might work" and the credit card machine always seemed to work. I listened to this routine for the next hour. When the other lady behind the counter asked if I wanted another beer, I responded that I was out of cash. She smiled and said the lady behind the register could figure something out.
The lady that assured me that my plastic would work, left for the evening, so when it was time for me to cash out, I gave the other lady my debit card. "No cards" she said "only cash". I said that I was out of cash. She reluctantly took my debit card and said "I hope this works". I told her that I bet it would. When it went through, I said "Wow, that was like a miracle, huh?" She gave me my card back along with a dirty look.
I get it. They save from no transaction fees, but they out make out big with the US currency rate. As I thought about it later on the plane, I remembered their machine being down about 7 months earlier when flying back from Whitehorse. Total scam. Eat before you descend the stairs into the bleak hallway that leads you to the Great Canadian Bagel
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