Toby’s 99cent hamburger no deal at all…

[TheNiteHwk]

Toby’s 99cent hamburger no deal at all…


I should have known it was too good to be true.

Credit where it’s due Toby’s burgers are great. That’s why when I seen the sign I thought…wow how can they do that? Sign in widow says burgers 99cents when ordering fries as well. Knowing their burgers are 6oz, I thought maybe it’s a smaller burger or something. So in I go with a friend and we ask “What size burger is that?”
“6oz” was the reply. So we order. When the bill comes it’s $24. for the two of us. All we drank was one Root Beer each so kind of got us off guard. On further look at the bill it’s $1.25 for every topping. I mean every topping! Onions, pickles, tomatoes etc… all $1.25 each. All in all even with 3 or 4 toppings that is about $6. for a very good burger… but still they did not tell us till we got the bill. I find that a little misleading. Especially how aggressive the waiter was in naming and suggesting all the toppings. I won’t go back.

 

[freshbreath]

never heard of this place

 

[TheNiteHwk]

It's on Yonge St just south of Bloor on the east side. Also one on Church St. south of Wellesly. I use to love their mushroom burgers and was a semi regular there years abck. Today was my first time back in I think 3 or 4 years. Maybe another 3 or 4 before I go back.

 

[stinkynuts]

I wonder why businesses do these underhanded promotions. They only alienate potential clients in the long run.

 

[Hard Idle]

Like that commercial says "It's only a deal if it's on something you actaually want".

It's very rare to avoid paying the true cost of something unless you;re illing to settle for a minimal, stripped down reduction.

I guess their marketing guys have been lurkong on Terb and saw how many people just can't get past the fixation with $5 dances or $60 incalls.

 

[Jade4u]

1.25 for each topping that is ridiculous, one bloody onion would not even amount to anywhere close to that. Was there even small print to be read on thier sign? There should be more laws in place against businesses misleading customers in anyway shape or form, even if it is in thier pictures.

 

[Eli]

Ouch! Talk about paying for extras! That franchise has been going down hill for years.

Hey anyone remember Foodworks in the Annex? Man I missed their burgers.

 

[Brookstone]

there are laws in place for businesses misleading their customres. Saw an article just last week i think on citypulse, couldnt find it anymore, about the how the company that owns tiptop tailors and others were sued for tip top and others misleading their customers. Advertised sale price but it really was the regular price as they just bumped up the regular selling price to make it look like its a sale.
I just dont think many ppl really look into the laws when something like this happens. Spreading the word is a good thing but not as good as bring businesses like that down.
Like stacey said, if they advertised .99 burgers with no other prints at all about applicable rules IE: topping costs., i'm pretty sure that would fall under false advertising. Any terbites with more knowledge in law?
I say you take em for all they got NH. When they go bankrupt and have to close the business, i'm sure then they will learn their lesson.

 

[Brookstone]

found the article

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_2540.aspx


Misleading Ads Are Commonplace
Monday August 7, 2006

You've probably been tempted by them before - those advertisements in newspapers and magazines that look too good to be true.

The thing is - in some cases they're just that, which means you have to be a smart shopper to distinguish the real deals from the alluring fakes.

They were never charged with any illegal activity, but Grafton-Fraser Inc. - which owns such clothiers as Tip Top Tailors and Mr. Big & Tall - did recently pay a $1.2 million settlement for misleading advertising.

"Grafton-Fraser in some cases highly inflated their regular selling price of a product and marked it down as a sale price," said Mark Stainsby of the Competition Bureau.

"We believe it is very serious in nature and does not allow consumers or competitors for that matter, a proper playing field."

A similar fate befell Sears, when the department store was forced to pay close to $500,000 in fines for "deceptive marketing" in 2005.

Ditto for Suzy Shier, which dolled out $1 million in a 2003 settlement for inflating regular prices for a sale.

Experts say a good way to tell if something's up is if you see an item on sale from the same retailer over an extended period of time. After all, if it's "on sale" for a month, that's pretty much the regular price.

"Retailers have to be honest in what they deliver, in what they advertise, in what they state and in the quality and efficiency of their product as well," said Stainsby.

To their credit, Grafton-Fraser has promised to implement a program to stop similar prolems from arising in the future. As for other fishy figures, if you spot any the best thing to do is contact the Competition Bureau and have them look into it.

Here's how to file a complaint with the federal Competition Bureau:

Competition Bureau

Tel: 1-800-348-5358

Or email: compbureau@cb-bc.gc.ca

For more information:

www.competitionbureau.gc.ca

 

[Larry_Fyne]

Is this the same Toby's that used to be all over the place about 10 years or so ago? Their logo was a dog? There was one on Bloor near Bay, one on Yonge north of the Finch subway. There used to be about 15 of them.

 

[Dr.John]

Toby's at St.Clair was a trendy hang-out back in the day before it went bust.

 

[goodtime]

Haven't had Toby's since teenage days.

Now if Licks or Hero are offering their burgers @ $0.99

 

[thompo69]

there are laws in place for businesses misleading their customres. Saw an article just last week i think on citypulse, couldnt find it anymore, about the how the company that owns tiptop tailors and others were sued for tip top and others misleading their customers. Advertised sale price but it really was the regular price as they just bumped up the regular selling price to make it look like its a sale.
I just dont think many ppl really look into the laws when something like this happens. Spreading the word is a good thing but not as good as bring businesses like that down.
Like stacey said, if they advertised .99 burgers with no other prints at all about applicable rules IE: topping costs., i'm pretty sure that would fall under false advertising. Any terbites with more knowledge in law?
I say you take em for all they got NH. When they go bankrupt and have to close the business, i'm sure then they will learn their lesson.

Your subsequent post with the story pretty deals with it, but its the Competition Act that handles misleading representations, and the Competition Bureau that investigates and enforces violations. The article had the information on how to make a complaint with the Bureau.

 

[Paul Drake]

My $.02 worth ...

Toby’s 99cent hamburger no deal at all…


I should have known it was too good to be true. ...
On further look at the bill it’s $1.25 for every topping. I mean every topping! Onions, pickles, tomatoes etc… all $1.25 each. All in all even with 3 or 4 toppings that is about $6. for a very good burger… but still they did not tell us till we got the bill. I find that a little misleading. Especially how aggressive the waiter was in naming and suggesting all the toppings.

Hey HWK, sorry they ran up the bill on you.

I've had some great meals there, the staff have been friendly, and in my opinion it's a good deal. Tomatoes, relish, onions are included, but you do have to watch with the cheese, mushrooms, bacon, chili. Each of these will be more than the burger, i.e., $1.25. It's actually kind of funny looking at the bill, 1 buck for the burger and 1.25 for the cheese.

Basic bill, about 3.25 for the fries, 1 for the burger; about 2 bucks for pop. PST and GST will add 14%. You can still have a sit down restaurant meal with tip for 10 bucks. That's not bad in Toronto.

P.D.