Our hearts go out to restaurant owners in many places in Canada, including in Parry Sound, Ontario, where we recently had breakfasts on two mornings at the Parry Sound Country Kitchen.
This Country Kitchen is under new ownership and the owner, Matthew T. Meglio (I...got his name from his business card at the restaurant) is being challenged by difficulty finding staff, which is an epidemic of sorts all across our country.
We had breakfast at this Country Kitchen on two different mornings in early August, 2022. On both days, we enjoyed watching interaction between staff and customers, as well as looking around at the artwork presented by local artists and photographers.
Patience is a virtue and on our first-morning breakfasts we waited for our order, perhaps a little longer than one would expect. However, that gave us a chance to chat with some nearby locals and learn a bit about both this restaurant and Parry Sound.
This restaurant is centrally located and easy to find with lots of free parking available on the street. The restaurant (including washrooms) was spotless, so definitely there are staff keeping it clean. But getting staff is a big challenge. From the first day we visited to the next morning, one kitchen staff member had quit and the owner was filling in preparing orders.
The menu is extensive with many breakfast offerings on both printed menus provided to our table, or on the large board which hangs on a back wall in the kitchen.
We had regular favourites, eggs with bacon, or toasted western sandwiches. The came exactly as we had asked and in sufficient quantity to set us up food-wise for our day; well, at least our morning!
This Country Kitchen is also a bakery and on our second-morning visit, as we had our breakfasts, we watched as freshly-made muffins arrived at the customer-service counter. Of course, we could not resist the lovely aroma of those muffins and we bought some to take with us. They were still warm!
We shall return to this Country Kitchen restaurant and have no problem recommending it. We noticed that some of the customers were tourists staying at the same hotel as us, and they enjoyed their breakfasts too.
The service was fine, the food was fine, and all it took was a bit of patience knowing that this restaurant... much like so many other restaurants in Canada... are having trouble finding staff. We wish Matthew Meglio, whom we do not know personally, every success with his new business and hopes he can carry on the tradition of excellence –as we heard said – from this restaurant's past.
Footnote: It might be helpful to this restaurant if they can get the name changed on this review area...on the business card it says Parry Sound Country Kitchen. Also, next time he prints his business cards, he should add a street address.More