Barb has been a waitress at Ted’s since 1987. In the window are Randy, left, and Charlie.
By Mikayla Haswell
Ted Petkoff was the first owner and founder of Ted’s diner in Highland Creek. He was born in 1904 in Macedonia, and immigrated to Toronto in 1920. During the Depression in the 1930s, he had a job as a railway worker In London, Ontario.
Ted went to Montreal looking for work, but he wasn’t successful so he came back to Toronto, where he got a part-time job washing dishes in exchange for somewhere to sleep and eat. When the war ended in 1945, he found work as a travelling salesman selling confectionery and tobacco.
It was this job that made Ted come out to Highland Creek where he met Ollie Crockford, a local builder. Crockford built a small grocery store business in the village, which Ted took over as Crockford’s Variety Store. It was an old frame building next to the cemetery. On November 25, 1954, the shop moved to a concrete building nearby, and Ted’s Variety and Coffee Shop opened on November 30. The name was soon changed to just “Ted’s.”
In addition to working at his shop, Ted worked at West Hill Collegiate Institute in the 1960s supplying food for their cafeteria. Ted’s cafeteria business took most of his time, so he sold the restaurant to two men who liked it so much that they kept the name and the ’50s style. This is one of the reasons why it has been such a popular place for filming TV shows and movies over the years.
After Ted turned 80, he retired and moved to the Keswick area, where he enjoyed his retirement playing golf. He celebrated his last birthday on January 31, 2010. He was 106 years old.
Ted’s has seen lots of waitresses come and go over the years. The three I spoke to didn’t expect to be working there for as long as they had. Barb has been there since 1987 and Kerry since 2006. They’re very friendly.
Barb has been at Ted’s the longest. She works tirelessly and always has a friendly attitude with the customers. She said the most rewarding part of the job is to see all the families come in with their kids, and then see the kids grow up and come to Ted’s with their own families.
Tracie has been there for over 20 years. She used to live in the area but has now moved away. She still works at Ted’s even though it takes over an hour to get there.
Another waitress, Kerry, has been working for 19 years, and created the bacon museum, which you can see behind the cash register. She says she’s collected bacon-related items for 10 years, and it really is a fun exhibit.
Even though the surrounding block has been bought for future development, they don’t think Ted’s will close for a while. One of the waitresses thinks that it won’t happen for at least five to 10 years.
Randy, the owner and also one of the cooks, has been there since 2001. He said he didn’t change much on the menu when he started, as the customers wanted the basic diner food that Ted’s was known for. He doesn’t know how long Ted’s will last either.
If Ted’s does close down, I would be sad because I grew up eating there. It is a part of Scarbrough’s history and I am hoping the restaurant will be able to stay and serve many generations to come. Ted’s will celebrate its 70th anniversary on November 30 this year!