Village Squire, 1980-09, Page 8Wildwood Inn
Good home cooking
that brings 'em back for more
BY HERB SHOVELLER
Assignment: Find a popular area diner/
restaurant, and discover its secret to
success.
I find my way to the Wildwood Inn, near
St. Marys, enter, and ask to see the person
in charge. I'm directed to a small table in a
corner where a woman is hurriedly eating
lunch.
After introducing myself, I find she is
suspicious I'm here to sell her advertising.
"No, I'm here to do a story," I assure
her. "1 don't sell."
The visit is unannounced, so I state my
purpose and ask if I might talk with her if
she's not too busy.
"I'm always.busy," she quickly replies.
She's still suspicious.
Her tightened facial expression then
eases. "I'II be free in about a half an
hour," she says. "I'll see you get a cup of
coffee".
She's gone, and I still don't know her
name.
On time, she returns, and we go to speak
in the living room of her home which is
attached to the restaurant. Finally, we can
talk. It's not to be.
"I'm so busy," she says, " but the
problem is, I'm enjoying every minute of
it.'
There's a knock on the door. It's her
wholesale distributor, in for his weekly
visit. Another delay. He sits and begins to
run through his list, taking her order and
asking what she needs.
"Do you need hot chocolate," he asks.
"No. No hot chocolate " she says after
considering a moment. "It's too watery.
I've got a reputation to keep up."
In time their business is complete, but
it's now an hour since I've arrived, and
we've talked for, at best, five minutes.
When the woman says she's busy, sb ' can
be taken at her word.
The woman is Hattie 'T _ and she,
along with her husban.. .'.'ey, purchased
the Inn almost two years ago.
Hattie and Avey Hendriks are proud of the six girls who work for them. Two of "the
team" are Janelle Hawkins (left) and Karen Ball with Mrs. Hendriks.
(Photo by Shoveller)
The business then was known as the
Forty Winks, and it had been struggling.
"There was no menu," said Hattie,
"just a coffee shop. They didn't feature
any real meals." Irregular hours also hurt
the Forty Winks.
In contrast, the re -named Wildwood Inn
was out of the blocks at the gun, and they
haven't slowed down yet.
"It was popular from the time we
started," noted Hattie. "We have lived
here, we've been involved, and our
reputation sort of followed us, I guess."-
The Inn is on Highway 7, south of
Stratford, in the vicinity of Uniondale.
Before taking over the restaurant and
PG. 6 VILLAGE SQUIRE/SEPTEMBER 1980
r►
hotel, the Hendriks lived in nearby
Lakeside.
At lunch the restaurant is full and hectic,
and throughout the afternoon there is a
steady flow of customer traffic. It is a
handy stop for tourists, it seems, and a
regular one for locals.
That the place is popular comes as no
surprise. (This been known beforehand,
and was expected, but there has to be a
reason for it.)
HOME COOKING
"It's the hospitality and food," Hattie
figured. "It's very plain, it's home
cooking.
"Don't ask me to cook filet mignon for