I Loved Me Some Zellers - Memories

For my Mom Zellers was a perfect department store. She could let her kids ramble while shopping knowing the were perfectly safe. If you get lost she taught us to meet at the store's restaurant. Going to Zellers for me was the low prices and superb toy aisles. You could roam at your leisure. Kid's speed and not Mom speed, No one was stressed from shopping. We ALWASYS got that great diner food. I loved the burgers and fries because they were large and cheap. That meant money for dessert which meant the awesome tasting pie which tasted like cheesecake but BETTER! I hope you know the jiggly pie they made.

Canada's history is full of beloved restaurant chains, both past and present,, and I am exploring their history! Today, it is a bit of a different type of restaurant....The Zellers in-store restaurant! 

Zellers was established on Aug. 4, 1928 in London, Ontario when Walter P. Zeller founded the first store. This first store was 7,000 square-feet and 60 women were hired on the opening day to work in 21 departments. 

 As for The Skillet, the in-store restaurant brand, that debuted in 1960. In Quebec, it was known as Café Fleur de Lys. The restaurants proved to be so popular that they began to pop up in many of the 300 Zellers locations across the country. What was offered varied over the years. 

Grilled cheese was a very popular dish among customers, as were the mini Z burgers for kids and the 3D Breakfast Club. There was also the $1.99 Breakfast Special that gave you two eggs, sausage/bacon/ham, toast and coffee. Two of the favourite dishes were the Big Z Burger and the delicious hot chicken sandwich smothered in gravy. 

The restaurants went through many revisions over the years and were branded as Zellers Family Restaurant before the brand disappeared. 

In 2023, the Zeller's Family Restaurant was brought back as a food truck. While many Canadians were happy to enjoy the famous meals again, they missed the ability to enjoy the meal in a diner in-store.