The Hoito

The Hoito
Restaurant
The dining room in 2015
Address	314 Bay Street, Thunder Bay
Existed	1918 – present
Coordinates	48.43223, -89.22998
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The Hoito Restaurant (often referred to as “The Hoito” by locals) is a Finnish-Canadian restaurant in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada established in 1918 and housed in the bottom floor of the historic Finnish Labour Temple. The Hoito operated continuously on 314 Bay Street, in the historic Bay & Algoma neighbourhood, for more than a century until closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. It was one of the oldest co-operatively owned and operated restaurants in Canada. It had been anticipated that the restaurant would reopen in early summer 2022. However, during the early evening hours of December 22, 2021, amid on-going renovations, smoke could be seen billowing from the rooftop, and The Hoito restaurant suffered extensive damage when a massive fire burned through the Finnish Labour Temple building above. The building is now gone, with new construction underway. In 1950 it was managed by Geo Hellman.

Last years

Pancakes at the Hoito, 2015

The restaurant drew line-ups that ran up the stairs and out the door, and served large portions; it was known for its pancakes. Prices rose somewhat in its last years. According to one account, by June 2020 the restaurant was bankrupt after years of mismanagement, rather than closed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Directory listings

Year	Name as listed	Details	Address	Source
1950	Hoito Restaurant Geo Hellman mgr 314 Bay	Geo Hellman, manager, 314 Bay Street		p. 522

Advertisements

1978, Geology Journal

Advertised in the Geology Journal (1978), scan page 9, with the address printed as 314 Bay Street. A restaurant serving Finnish and Canadian dishes at low prices.

1983, Harvest

Advertised in the Harvest (1983), p. 72, with the address printed as 314 Bay Street Thunder Bay, Ont. A local restaurant in Thunder Bay.

1985, Harvest

Advertised in the Harvest (1985), p. 71, with the address printed as 314 Bay Street, Thunder Bay, Ontario. A well-known local restaurant.

1986, Harvest

Advertised in the Harvest (1986), scan page 74, with the address printed as 314 Bay Street, Thunder Bay, Ontario. A local restaurant.

1992, Northern Exposure

Advertised in the Northern Exposure (1992), p. 93, with the address printed as 314 Bay Street, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 1S1. A restaurant located on Bay Street.

Advertisement, 1992

1993, Northern Exposure

Advertised in the Northern Exposure (1993), p. 113, with the address printed as 314 Bay Street, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 1S1. Restaurant services.

Advertisement, 1993

1980, Geology Journal

Advertised in the Geology Journal (1980), scan page 36, with the address printed as 314 Bay Street. A restaurant serving Finnish and Canadian dishes with daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours.

1986, Confederation College Yearbook

Advertised in the Confederation College Yearbook (1986), scan page 107, with the address printed as 314 BAY STREET, Thunder Bay. A restaurant open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Thunder Bay connections: Port Arthur, Ontario.

This is a stub article adapted from the intro of the corresponding Wikipedia article, whose full text covers the subject in greater detail. Content is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.