ICONIC SIGN: The Real Jerk
Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2022 10:37 am
Text by Glyn, edited by Kurt
ADDRESS: 709 Queen Street East, at Broadview Avenue.
Part sign, part mural; for 22 years The Real Jerk brightened the Riverdale streetscape. At its original Queen St East location, the restaurant's name was spelled out in blocky, bamboo cuttings painted in black mounted on a corrugated steel backdrop. Red and yellow horizontal stripes wrapped around the entire building, a reference to Rastafarianism and the Ethiopian flag. The most eye-popping feature however, was the iconic smiling sun wearing shades, which covered most of the western wall and projected high above the top edge of the building. There was also a cut out of an island shaped like Jamaica covered in musical notes and a palm tree, all in Rastafari green.
The Real Jerk was founded in 1984 by husband-and-wife team Ed and Lily Pottinger. They moved to their long-time Riverdale location in 1989, and became a beloved fixture in the east end, serving up delicious Jamaican cuisine: hearty roti, mouthwatering curry goat, and its signature jerk-seasoned meats which inspired the restaurant's name.
Over the years, Ed and Lily played host to internationally famous athletes and celebrities, and even became local celebrities themselves being profiled by the Toronto Star and publishing some of their own recipes.
Unfortunately, in a very Toronto turn of events, Ed and Lily were informed during the holidays of 2011 that the building was being sold, and they had until January 31, 2012 to clear out. The Pottingers launched an online campaign to try to stop, or at least delay the eviction until a new location could be found. Many people lent their voices to the cause, including the local councillor, but to no avail.
Happily, The Real Jerk found a new location in 2013 at Gerrard St East and Carlaw Ave. It later added another location in the Upper Beaches, and even one in London, England.
But it's the Gerrard location that is most widely recognized, after being the set of Rihanna's “Work” music video, featuring Drake and filmed by fellow-Torontonian Director X. In the establishing shot for the video, the recreated sign is prominently featured, with its distinctive red, yellow, and green striped background, cut-out black letters made to resemble the old bamboo frontage, and that familiar smiling sun. A massive dance scene was filmed inside, and that's Lily cooking in the video. The video launched in 2016 and, to date, has over a billion views on YouTube, cementing the legendary status of the sign.
ADDRESS: 709 Queen Street East, at Broadview Avenue.
Part sign, part mural; for 22 years The Real Jerk brightened the Riverdale streetscape. At its original Queen St East location, the restaurant's name was spelled out in blocky, bamboo cuttings painted in black mounted on a corrugated steel backdrop. Red and yellow horizontal stripes wrapped around the entire building, a reference to Rastafarianism and the Ethiopian flag. The most eye-popping feature however, was the iconic smiling sun wearing shades, which covered most of the western wall and projected high above the top edge of the building. There was also a cut out of an island shaped like Jamaica covered in musical notes and a palm tree, all in Rastafari green.
The Real Jerk was founded in 1984 by husband-and-wife team Ed and Lily Pottinger. They moved to their long-time Riverdale location in 1989, and became a beloved fixture in the east end, serving up delicious Jamaican cuisine: hearty roti, mouthwatering curry goat, and its signature jerk-seasoned meats which inspired the restaurant's name.
Over the years, Ed and Lily played host to internationally famous athletes and celebrities, and even became local celebrities themselves being profiled by the Toronto Star and publishing some of their own recipes.
Unfortunately, in a very Toronto turn of events, Ed and Lily were informed during the holidays of 2011 that the building was being sold, and they had until January 31, 2012 to clear out. The Pottingers launched an online campaign to try to stop, or at least delay the eviction until a new location could be found. Many people lent their voices to the cause, including the local councillor, but to no avail.
Happily, The Real Jerk found a new location in 2013 at Gerrard St East and Carlaw Ave. It later added another location in the Upper Beaches, and even one in London, England.
But it's the Gerrard location that is most widely recognized, after being the set of Rihanna's “Work” music video, featuring Drake and filmed by fellow-Torontonian Director X. In the establishing shot for the video, the recreated sign is prominently featured, with its distinctive red, yellow, and green striped background, cut-out black letters made to resemble the old bamboo frontage, and that familiar smiling sun. A massive dance scene was filmed inside, and that's Lily cooking in the video. The video launched in 2016 and, to date, has over a billion views on YouTube, cementing the legendary status of the sign.