Feeling Mello's

I tried to save money, in my late 20s and into my early 30s, but it wasn't easy.

Even though I worked in a bank, was good at helping my customers manage their money and even making it grow, I was lousy at managing my own. I wanted to be social and hang out with my friends, and we would often go to our favourite bars and dance clubs in Ottawa.

I was also taking a sommelier program, at Algonquin College, to further my knowledge and love of wine.

From 1993 to 1995, I worked most days at the CIBC in the City View Plaza, at 1518 Merivale Road, in Ottawa. The bank is long gone, now, but my memories of that branch—along with those of the branch in the Merivale Mall, where I worked from 1990 to 1997—are still strong.

It didn't help that at the time that I worked in City View Plaza, there was an LCBO store at the opposite end of the strip mall, and that to get home I had to walk past it. I knew a couple of the employees, who were always keen to show me some of the latest Vintages releases that were added to the shelves, and it would have simply been rude to not pick up a bottle or two.

From Monday to Friday, I brought at least one bottle of wine home each day.

To save money, I would try to bring a homemade lunch into the branch, but several of the bank staff were friends of mine, who also worked Friday nights and weekend shifts with me at the Merivale Mall, and most days, they ate at the coffee shop that was in between the bank and the Independent grocery store. Not wanting to miss a chance to socialize outside of work, I would join them a couple of times a week.

We always sat at the booth at the back of Mello's Coffee Shop. I usually ate with Phil and Pam, and sometimes Karl or Noreen would join us as a fourth person. There were always enough staff members to manage the teller's wickets in our one-hour absence.

As the shop existed in August of 2021 (Google Maps street view).

I usually ordered the same lunch: the Mello's Special Club Sandwich, which was your classic double-decker sammy of turkey, bacon, lettuce, and tomato, but had a third layer of egg salad. I ordered the brown bread, a side of fries (which were always perfectly crispy), and washed it all down with coffee. On Fridays, if I dined there, I would order their fish and chips.

And coffee. There was something about diner coffee that I couldn't get enough of.

Today, the bank is gone. So is the LCBO and most of the shops that were situated in between. The Ministry of Transportation office has moved further south on Merivale Road, to a larger location near Slack Road. Even the grocery store, which occupied the bulk of the middle part of the plaza, is gone, replaced with a Giant Tiger.

But Mello's is still there. I'm sure that the staff from the 90s is gone but I wonder if the menu is the same. Last week, I had a sudden craving for a club sandwich, but not just your classic double-decker: I wanted the Mello's club.

Maybe, for nostalgia sake, I'll go back. My fellow bankers have scattered to the winds—retired or moved on to other careers—and my dear friend, Phil, is sadly no more. But maybe DW will join me for a trip down memory lane.

Happy Thursday!