Grapefruit Moon Restaurant Part III

In February of 2005, I went to the Grapefruit Moon Cafe in Toronto with my mother and my brother for brunch. I wrote about our experience not so much to provide a restaurant review but simply to expand on the pleasure of being able to eat a BLT since I had forgone meat for the prior 15 years. Well, that post generated a lot of cacophany in the manner of comments. Apparently the restaurant had been showcased on a restaurant makeover t.v. series and it was not pretty. They focused in on grime and dirt and portrayed the owner, Sandy Moon, as a selfish nasty restaurant owner of the worst kind. At first I allowed the comments because the site is open forum but then I closed them because they got ridiculous - they became a bantering back and forth of American versus Canadian values and other nonsense that people write on websites when they have too much time on their hands, too little to offer in the form of well thought out argumentation and no one to listen to them.

Then, I received an email from Sandy Moon that I will excerpt part of here:

"I am the owner of Grapefruit Moon at 968 Bathurst St in Toronto. We
have been open for seven years and have enjoyed some great reviews,
positive feedback and lots of neighbourhood support. I have struggled
over the years to maintain my commitment to buy organic or natural
supplies locally and create healthy yet comforting meals at reasonable
prices. I also strive to have a welcoming and friendly, cosy atmosphere
for everyone."

"Over a year ago I was approached to do a TV show called Restaurant
Makeover. I paid $16K for work to be done and they would have a TV show
to air. It sounded like a fair deal. It, however, did not turn out to
be so great for me. They were apparently looking for a restaurant that
they could turn into their shocker episode. -which is good for TV. They
edited the show to make me look ungrateful and undeserving. After
asking me to prepare for filming by leaving the premises
untidy they focused on whatever filth and grime they could find,
falsely implying that these conditions were standard and acceptable
during operation. The renovations were meager and unfinished. The end
result was an episode of disappointment for me to put it mildly and
lots of internet libel and hate mail."

She asked me to delete the comments from my website because they were defamatory. I agreed. She was friendly and forthright in her concern and she did not demand or threaten me if I didn't do what she asked. Rather she presented a case that I thought was fair. I have kept my initial review of Grapefuit Moon on the site where I talk about food on the floor and mixed up orders. However, I did not see the t.v. series that showcased her restaurant and I do not have evidence that how they portrayed her is correct or that the actual costs of the makeover were used for her own personal gain so I deleted the commentary in its entirety because the slanderous nature of it was something that I could not support in accuracy.

I will use this website to fairly express my personal views on experiences that I have had. I will not take purposely nasty tones to outcast those who struggle in the business of food and hospitality but I will warn the general public of things I feel they should be aware of. Sandy Moon offered to meet with me to discuss her side of the situation. I did not feel that that was necessary. I told her that I would do as she asked and that I would someday return to Grapefruit Moon unannounced (with an unsuspecting and objective guest at my side) for another shot at the neighbourhood popular eatery. Because I believe everyone deserves a second chance.