Fri, Jul 20/07, 1:30 p.m. - Grodzinski Bakery

3437 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON

This was a pleasant shopping experience. I arrived a little late for a Friday afternoon, and I just needed to pick up a few items.

The store is clean, airy, and looks organized.

At this shop, the product is in shelves along the perimeter of the store, and shoppers get to choose exactly what they want. There are plenty of plastic bags available in which you can put your selected items. There were staff available for questions. In fact, I asked a member of the staff if they had a particular item I was looking for. She indicated that they no longer made that variety. A few minutes later she came up to me and said she would mention it to the bakers, and perhaps they would make some next weekend. Even if they don't, it was nice to get a response that made me feel they cared.

The checkout process was smooth and easy (even though the cashier didn't smile once -- at least she didn't growl). The parking isn't great, but acceptable.

I got a poppy danish (pretty good), their cheese bun (quite good, but the filling was a bit gelatinous), and the chocolate buffalo (pretty good). I also got some poppy bagels with lots of seeds, actually covered with seeds (they tasted good, and look great).

I checked the Toronto "DineSafe" rating. They have passed for the past 2 years, which is good, because in July 2005, they had some problems:

• FAILURE TO PROTECT FOOD FROM CONTAMINATION Operator fail to use proper procedure(s) to ensure food safety
• FAILURE TO ENSURE / PROVIDE FOR PROPER EMPLOYEE HYGIENE / HANDWASHING Operator fail to provide separate handwashing sink(s)