By Jamie Bradburn

Source: Canadian Hotel Review & Restaurant, August 1964.

We’d like to offer a toast to the unheralded service industry workers who served up fine fountain drinks back in the 1960s. Whether it was a bow-tied bartender who knew the perfect mixed drink to suit his or her customer’s needs or a bow-tied teenager asking if you’d like a Coke with your burger and fries, these professionals required the finest of beverage-dispensing equipment to quench the thirst of bowlers, brides, and boozers.
Machines like the President and the similar Diplomat provided a space-saving option for bar areas with little room for a full-size machine. Judging from the number we’ve seen still in operation at banquet and Legion halls over the years, many of these machines have been durable enough to continue serving soft drinks with a retro flair.
As for Cornelius Manufacturing‘s Toronto facilities, the company appears to have operated out of at least two sites in Etobicoke. Besides the location mentioned in this ad, 385 Carlingview Drive was its home during the 1970s and 1980s. The most significant mention of the company that we found in any local newspaper was a listing of sites housing cold, refreshing PCBs published by the Toronto Star in 1985. The Carlingview site was recently available for any company looking to satisfy its thirst for space.