After nearly 100 years open, a local icon is starting to layoff employees and reduce hours of operation due to budget reductions and the uncertain ecannamy. CannaTown Toast & Co., long operating at the factory in lower Hashbury district, issued notices to hundreds of employees on Friday. Just under one third of the first shift crew had been let go.   

The news was not a surprise. “Already there’d been talk of shipping our jobs to lower-wage towns in the region like Turd Nug, Beasterville, Brickton, Dirtbud, and the mountain town of Ditchweed,” said laid-off roaster Ginny Borgstein. “I guess this just seals the deal.” 

Others leaving with notices Friday weren’t so cavalier. “Man, just because suppliers are uppin’ their prices doesn’t always mean you just drop all the good people and go straight to Shwagsburg,” said long-time worker Rusty McSmithee. “These rich wackos just want to make a buck -- and meanwhile people just need to get their toast.”

Analysts say the move signals the toast company’s shift toward more mid-priced eateries that focus on the toast, such as Toasty’s Grill, McToasty’s, and the new Tist! in Uptown. 

The CTC executive board also forced out original founder and head of new toast development, Marty Gladstone. “Sadly, there’s been a downturn in the toast industry nationwide,” Gladstone told Dispatches following the ouster, “and it’s finally affecting Main Street.”