@Northern Light , I'll bet my bottom dollar - at the exact time the previous photo of empty curbside CafeTO was taken on a sunny day at lunch time,... every patio on the Danforth was packed! Why? Demographics! Two totally different market,... two totally different ethnic market!
Willowdale has a high Asian demographic,....
- 2021 of Willowdale's 117,125 total and 71.0% Visible Minority: Chinese 29,655 (25.3%), West Asian 12,865 (11.0%), Korean 11,555 (9.9%), South Asian 8,865 (7.6%), Filipino 7,590 (6.5%)
https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-...st=1&STATISTIClist=1&DGUIDlist=2013A000435115
Note: Iranian (nationality) 10,370 + Persian (ethnicity) 3,695 = 14065/117,125 = 12.0% of Willowdale
Almost 60% of Willowdale residents are Asian, this means over 60% are from cultures that value "Skin Whitening! Oh, and this diversity is even higher within and closer to the high-density Yonge Corridor condo area!
For Asians,... whiter skin is beauty standards, social status as darker skin means working in fields, whatever but,.. Asian females are like Draculas! They'll avoid the sun at all cost - lather up in sun block with high SPF the higher the Sun Protection Factor the better! Carry open umbrellas in blazing sun, wear large brim hats, use skin whitening cream/powder, etc,... and with Asian females avoiding outdoor patios? This is why Curbside CafeTO failed in Willowdale,... if you can't get the Asian females out there, the Asian guys aren't going to spend money to be by themselves!
Look at this map of Google Search Results for "Sun Tanning VS Skin Whitening" by countries:
View attachment 447356
source:
The local BIA were still perplex as to why they wasted so much money in the first year (2021) on planters and flowers for empty CafeTO patios,... I finally explained this to the local BIA last summer during a weekend Korean fest at Mel Lastman Square,.. and they finally understood because during the day - the outdoor venue wasn't too busy, but at night the place would be packed especially the Food Market.
Oh,.. and in case you're wondering why all those Asian Night Food Market events are so popular - at night,.. well, now you know!
Here in North York Centre, there's predominately Asian Restaurants and also non-Asian restaurants,... the non-Asian restaurants like Cafe Landwer targets a less Asian market,... but with Cactus Club being more of an higher Asian-fusion type restaurant,... good luck with the empty patio!