Montreal City Weblog

Kate 21:48 on 2022-01-31 Permalink Reply  

• Max 22:30 on 2022-01-31 Permalink

  Nice to see that he didn’t bother to cover Cheskie’s. That place (and much of their clientele) is revoltingly ignorant of Covid public health measures.

• M 09:36 on 2022-02-01 Permalink

  Max – agreed. After being a Cheskie’s customer for 20 years, the sign they recently put up on the door basically saying ‘don’t say anything to our staff or customers for not wearing masks’ was enough to put me off the place for good.

• Kate 10:47 on 2022-02-01 Permalink

  I’ve never been to Cheskie’s – not a big fan of cookies and other pastry stuff – but now I know not to go.

• CE 11:19 on 2022-02-01 Permalink

  I went the other day. I saw the sign but was confused as to whether it was telling people to wear their mask or if nobody should care about it. It was aggressive but weirdly vague. Everyone was wearing their masks but the place was pretty full. No worse than being on the bus at rush hour though. Everything I got was delicious (only had cinnamon babka though which is, as everyone knows, a lesser babka).

• Joey 11:50 on 2022-02-01 Permalink

  @CE typically mask-wearing has been optional at best at Cheskie’s since the pandemic started. My Hasidic brethren are really letting me down when it comes to health and safety on this one. I guess the owner/staff/regulars got tired of being scolded for crappy mask-wearing so they put up that ‘mind your own business’ sign (and not, you know, a ‘just wear the fucking mask’ sign, which would have been equally rude/effective). Still worth the risk for some dessert tho! Double mask and hold your breath LOL

• jeather 12:02 on 2022-02-01 Permalink

  I am a fan of Cheskie’s but zero surprised they are not great at mask wearing. (I liked it better when they had limits on the number of people inside.) I’m curious what the sign reads.

  Have to give that article props for seriously comparing the big orange to the Eiffel tower.

• js 18:22 on 2022-02-01 Permalink

  I wonder if the Hassidic stores in Mile End/Outremont that, unlike “crossover” hit Cheskie’s, get few if any outsiders have signs like this.

• Christopher 19:39 on 2022-02-01 Permalink

  The problem at Cheskie’s isn’t the owner or staff, all of whom wear masks, but the occasional maskless customer. I’ve been there when people have gotten into arguments with somebody for not wearing a mask. I’m disappointed the business took the site of the anti-maskers but not surprised. If you go into Lipa’s (the kosher grocery at Park/St-Viateur) almost nobody is wearing masks, including staff.

• M 20:25 on 2022-02-01 Permalink

  I was so surprised by the sign at Cheskie’s that I took a picture of it. The sign reads:

  “Dear customers,
  Regarding masks, please take care of yourself ONLY!
  Please don’t harass customers and/or employees.
  If you find it hard to comply, please shop elsewhere.

  Thank you!
  Management”

  So I decided to shop elsewhere.

• GC 20:53 on 2022-02-01 Permalink

  Thanks, M. I was very curious what it (specifically) said. It’s not quite as bad as I feared, but I wouldn’t call it great… I went there a couple of times, because it’s close to my office, but I haven’t been in since the Pandemic started because I haven’t been going to my office. I didn’t think it was that great, but I might just not have been ordering the right things.

• CE 21:10 on 2022-02-01 Permalink

  You were not ordering the right things.

• GC 23:13 on 2022-02-01 Permalink

  Entirely possible! I really don’t know my way around Jewish desserts, in general

• dwgs 23:48 on 2022-02-01 Permalink

  I’ve never been there, know nothing of the vibe, but that sign could be read either way, especially if as someone said, the owner and staff are always masked.

• CE 09:27 on 2022-02-02 Permalink

  You’ll never go wrong Russian chocolate babkas (the mini ones).

• Joey 10:42 on 2022-02-02 Permalink

  Also the cheese crowns are worth the COVID risk. And if they have fresh cinnamon danish on the back counter, go all in.

• GC 12:40 on 2022-02-02 Permalink

  Thanks for the tips, CE and Joey. If I ever go back, I’ll keep those in mind.

• jeather 13:06 on 2022-02-02 Permalink

  Everyone is right: mini chocolate babkas, cheese crowns, and I personally like the mini danishes (cinnamon, vanilla and raspberry). I’m sure they have other things that are good, but those are what I buy.