A slider bar with a cult following and wildly affordable sandwiches is opening a new location

Back in 2018, James Bateman converted his original cowboy-leaning concept, Bronco’s Slider Bar, into something he thought better suited the West Queen West neighbourhood: Pennies.

The canary-yellow bar with a huge patio has since become a Strachan Street staple, serving up alarmingly affordable two-bite sandwiches—Korean fried chicken, Oklahoma burgers, chopped cheese, Coney Island dogs—tater tots with all manner of toppings, cheap beer and (sometimes frozen) cocktails.

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Now, Bateman is bringing a second location of Pennies to 667 College Street in Little Italy later this summer, this time with a bar that extends from the main-floor dining room to the patio as well as a second-floor event space and games room. What isn’t new is a machine that will dispense buttery—complimentary!—popcorn, just like the one at the original location. And that patio? The 130-seat space threatens to rival that of Café Diplomatico.

Expanding the brand was always part of Bateman’s plan, but it wasn’t until his business successfully navigated the pandemic that he felt ready to go for it. “Post-Covid, Pennies has thrived, and that’s proof of concept enough for the team,” says Bateman. In today’s economy, it may have something to do with the almost-daily happy hours (like all-you-can-eat cheeseburgers and tater tots for just $18 on Wednesday), but that’s just a guess.