Fast Teddy's in Tonawanda succeeds with 'cold coffee' and 'lousy food'

The sign in the window at Fast Teddy's says "Cold Coffee Lousy Food".

According to owner Dave Mascio instead of keeping people away, the odd sign brings curious new customers in.

Dave and his wife Gina bought the Tonawanda restaurant four years ago.

Dave says that Fast Teddy's is really known for the $1.49 bottomless cup of coffee, milkshakes made from real ice cream and pancakes as large as a dinner plate adding "we do two eggs and toast for $1.99 during the week." The food is not really lousy and the coffee is not really cold, but Dave says the sign stays because the customers like it adding "The motto has been with the place since the seventies.

They come in and they say your coffee is not cold-but it drew us in." We interviewed prior owner Ted Campos in 1987 and he said then that the idea came from a place he saw in Florida that drew a crowd with a sign that said "warm beer".

Fast Teddy's opens every day at 6am and is located at 221 Main St, Tonawanda, NY 14150

TONAWANDARESTURANT THAT HASBEEN SUCESSFUL BYADVERTISING "COLDCOFFEE AND LOUSYFOOD".MIKE RANDALLCHECKED IT OUT.WHO WOULD EAT ADINER THATADVERTISES COLDCOFFEE AND LOUSEYFOOD?

APPARENTLYLOTS OF PEOPLE.WE COME HERE A LOTIT'S A GOOD PLACE WELIKE ITWELCOME TO FASTTEDDY'S A COZYTONAWANDA EATERYRUN BY DAVE MASCIOAND HIS WIFE GINA...WE DO TWO EGGS ANDTOAST FOR A DOLLARNINTY-NINE DURINGTHE WEEKTHEY BOUGHT THERESTURANT FOURYEARS AGO-THE NAMEAND THAT MOTTOCOLD COFFEE ANDLOUSEY FOOD CAMEWITH THE PLACETHE MOTTO ISAWESOME-THAT'S BEENWITH THE PLACE SINCETHE SEVENTIES IBELIEVEDAVE SAYS FASTTEDDY'S IS KNOWNFOR THE DOLLAR-FORTY-NINEBOTTOMLESS CUP OFCOFFEE --MILKSHAKESMADE WITH REAL ICECREAM-ANDPANCAKES SO BIG...ITTAKES AN EXPERTTOFLIP THEM...OUR PANCAKES AREHUGE-FOR TWO FORTYNINE THEY'RE THE SIZEOF A ROUND PLATETHEY'RE HUGEWE CHECKED OUTFAST TEDDY'S IN THE1980'S AND MET THENOWNER TEDCAMPOS-THE MANWHO CAME UP WITHTHE COLD COFFEELOUSEY FOODMARKETINGSTATEDGY.I GOT AN IDEA FROMBEING DOWN INFLORIDA THEY WEREADVERTISING WARMBEERI FIGURED THEPLACE DOWN THEREWAS PACKED ALL THETIMESO WHEN WEBOUGHT THERESTURANT BACK INJUNE-WE TRIED THECOLD COFFEE ANDLOUSEY FOOD-AND IT'SWORKED OUT REALGOODTED'S PLAN PAID OFF-AND THE SUCCESSFULMOTTO STILL BRINGSIN NEW CUSTOMERSTODAY....THEY COME IN THEYSAY-YOUR COFFEE'SNOT COLD-BUT IT DREWUS IN-Y'KNOW-GREATFOOD-THEY DO SAYTHAT WE MUST HAVEGREAT FOOD-TO GOWITH THAT MOTTO.THE IT'S VERY HOT-DO YOUH HAVE TOY FOODSIGN IS EYECATCHINGAND ASA-EVERYTHING USUALLYMEANS THE OPPOSI