$5 waffles, $7 eggs benny: Victoria diner revives menu from 1989
John Cantin vividly remembers opening day for his Victoria diner. Stress levels were high, tables were full, and one of the most popular menu items couldn’t be freed from the unyielding grip of the waffle maker.
“The cook would open it up and they would stick on both sides,” Cantin said. “All the waitresses were freaked out and telling customers, ‘I’m sorry.’”
Connie Hardie, a former manager at John’s Place, laughed at the memory.
“Day 1, Day 2, and probably for our first couple of weeks, it was all about those darn waffles. But (Cantin) got it figured out and they’re still a big hit today,” she said.
Cantin estimates they’ve sold just shy of a million waffles since opening on Pandora Avenue and Douglas Street in October of 1984.
From Monday to Friday of next week, he’s reviving a menu from the diner’s early days to celebrate 40 years in business. The menu from 1989 has those famous waffles priced at $5.
“I was upstairs in my office and I came across an old menu and all of a sudden I’m like, ‘Let’s run it back,’” he said.
Cantin is also bringing back old staff members, including Hardie, who will be bussing tables on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“It’s sentimental,” said Hardie, who now lives in Vancouver. “Victoria is still in my heart and so is John’s Place.”
Opening day at John’s Place in October of 1984. (Source: Connie Hardie)
A food policy analyst said promotions, such as using nostalgia to get people in the door, are a smart move for casual dining spots.
“That category of restaurant has struggled as of late in Canada,” said Sylvain Charlebois, Dalhousie University Agri-Foods Analytics Lab director.
“Most people who go there are part of the middle class and the middle class has been hammered by the cost of living situation.”
That’s why Cantin said he tries to keep his prices low.
“Through the last few years — COVID and all of that — he struggled with having to raise his prices because he’s just been so loyal to his customers all of these years,” Hardie said.
Despite the pandemic and the inflated cost of ingredients, Cantin said he’s managed to keep all but one item on his current menu below $20.
When food costs go up, he said he raises prices accordingly, but on the rare occasion when ingredients get cheaper, he lowers them.
“(A server) said, ‘John, nobody does that; nobody lowers their prices,’” Cantin said. “That’s something I still do. If I get a deal on coffee or something like that, I’ll have a special deal.”
That care for customers has bolstered the diner’s decades-long run, Hardie said.
“It’s about building community, it’s about building family, and it’s about making good food and being consistent,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an “innocent” couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough, and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other – Marie-Claude Bibeau – doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year’s attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel’s most wanted man.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
From Taylor Swift to Tinkerbell, these are the top trending Halloween costumes in Canada
According to Google search data, the top Halloween costumes trending in Canada include everything from Taylor Swift for kids to the Joker and Harley Quinn for couples.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Singh 'doesn't understand' why Poilievre won't get top security clearance
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says it's very disturbing that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre won't get the top-level security clearance needed to view classified documents on foreign interference.
Woman accused of killing 3 people in 3 days opposes mental health assessment
A Toronto court has ordered an assessment to determine if a woman accused of killing three people in three Ontario cities over three days is fit to stand trial at this time.