8 Things You Need To Know For October 3
Including how to annoy your barista & fall fun in Toronto for less than $30.
An espresso machine. Right: Two women in a cranberry marsh.
Good morning — Andrew from Narcity's Canada Morning Brief here. ☕
Off The Top: The death certificate for Queen Elizabeth II was released late last week, and — surprise! — the 96-year-old's official cause of death was that she was really, really old. Or that's what Buckingham Palace would have you believe, anyway; I smell a hit true crime podcast series.
1. How To Act In Public (AKA How Not To Piss Off Your Local Barista)
Prior to becoming Narcity's Western Canada Editor, Morgan Leet previously worked as a barista, slinging lattes on the front line of the service industry. It didn't take long for her to start mentally jotting down all the customer antics that aggravated the staff — like someone demanding a grande frappuccino even though they know damn well they're not at Starbucks. If you've ever been to a café, sit up straight and pay attention; here are the 11 most annoying things that customers do at a coffee shop.
2. Ex-Torontonians Explain Why They Moved To Alberta & Never Looked Back
It's no secret that Alberta is currently pulling out all the stops to try to convince other Canadians to relocate. You can hardly get through a YouTube or Spotify ad without someone extolling the virtues of the prairie province. As it turns out, even those who aren't part of coordinated marketing campaigns are loving their move out west. As Charlie Hart reports, TikTokers who previously lived in Toronto have found plenty of reasons to fall in love with Alberta living. Here are the highlights.
- Counterpoint: Not everyone is loving Alberta's all-out marketing assault. Young Canadians from Toronto and Vancouver have begun pushing back against the campaign — including a few who have already come to regret their big moves.
3. An Expert Breaks Down Where You Absolutely Need To Tip In Toronto
When you ask people in the service industry what constitutes an acceptable tip these days, you're invariably going to end up with a figure on the higher end. Not so fast. Our Mira Nabulsi spoke with an etiquette expert about the current standards for gratuities in Toronto and the resulting intel might actually surprise you. From takeout counters to food delivery drivers, here are the dos and don'ts of tipping service workers in a variety of situations.
- By The Numbers: Look away, restaurant servers; according to the etiquette expert, a 15% gratuity on a meal is perfectly acceptable. Also, no tip at all is required for a takeout meal.
- My Take: The real question is how much we should be tipping our humble newsletter writers... right?
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What Else You Need To Know Today
🎉 HOLIDAYS
October 3 marks Mean Girls Day, a celebration of the enduring 2004 teen comedy starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams. If you're less inclined to try to make "fetch" happen today, feel free to observe World Architecture Day instead.
✈️ PLANE ENGLISH
New budget airline Canada Jetlines made its inaugural flight from Toronto to Calgary in late September — and our very own Brooke Houghton was buckled in for the ride. Here's why the low-cost airline skeptic and self-professed seat snob thinks that Canada's big carriers should be shaking in their cowboy boots.
🍂 FALL INTO AUTUMN
With costs still sky-high across the board, the buying power of a buck isn't quite what it used to be. Still, there's no shortage of fun fall adventures around Toronto, Madeline Forsyth writes. From plunging into a massive pool of cranberries to all sorts of pumpkin-centric fairs, here are eight great seasonal activities that all costs $30 or less per person.
🪄 TRAGIC KINGDOM
In the wake of Hurricane Ian's rampage across Florida last week, the decision by Orlando's Walt Disney World Resort to reopen operations so quickly has drawn criticism from fans and staff alike, Fernanda Leon reports. "Y’all know the roads to Disney [...] are completely flooded [right now], right?" reads one employee's comment. Here's the full story.
🎂 BIRTHDAYS
Happy 18th birthday to Stranger Things' Noah Schnapp. Danish Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander turns 34. Self-obsessed footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović is 41. Underrated on-screen doofus Seann William Scott is 46. Game of Thrones matriarch Lena Headey and Scream queen Neve Campbell are both 49. Gwen Stefani is 53. Clive Owen is 58. Ex-Fleetwood Mac frontman Lindsey Buckingham is 73 — and evidently never goin' back again.
Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — the newsletter that prays that Fleetwood Mac can set aside their differences for the greater good: making obscene amounts of money.
Have a question or comment about today's edition? Let us know at andrew.potter@narcity.com or hit me up on Twitter if you'd prefer at @andrewjoepotter.
Have a great day and I will see you back here tomorrow!