Just when business started to look up for Ice Creamonology, things quickly took a turn for the worse after owner Onur Yilmaz was kicked out of the space by his landlord last week.
The ice cream store—which opened at the Harbourfront at the beginning of March—rapidly gained traction for their handcrafted premium ice cream once the warm weather began rolling in. Lines would extend out of the storefront, which was previously storage space for Loch & Quay restaurant.
It wasn’t until Yilmaz was notified by Ryan Mungal, the owner of Loch & Quay, that he wanted to change the terms of their sublease agreement. In addition to paying a monthly rent, Mungal requested up to half of Yilmaz’s gross sales.
Mungal also declined a formal meeting to hash out the details, proceeded to change the locks and threatened to dispose of Yilmaz’s equipment. This left Yilmaz with no choice but to move out of the space immediately on May 26. Luckily, Yilmaz was quick to find a new home, which is located inside Chen Chen’s Hot Chicken.
“Me and Chen are college friends and we [have] always wanted to be in the same location,” said Yilmaz.
Since Ice Creamonology will be operating out of a smaller space, they’ll only have scoops and pints available through a takeout window.
Their ice cream sandwiches, milkshakes and cookies, however, may reappear next summer once they’ve settled into a permanent flagship location at the Harbourfront.
For now, you can find Ice Creamonology at 1184 Queen Street West starting Saturday. They’ll be open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 10 p.m.
