I got an opportunity to check out the grand opening, well
preopening anyway, of the newest hospitality player in town (of Newmarket)
Lone Star Texas Grill located on Yonge St.'s North East corner across the lotway from Lowes.
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| Newmarket's Newest player opened Monday |
I know the industry well, having been in hospitality at one time, first as a kitchen manager with
Pat & Marios Restaurants which was Canada's first chain concept to combine dining and bar/dancing w DJ as well as assisting to open other Toronto locations including high volume locals at Front & Church, Airport Road and Yonge & Eglinton. They had been a spin-off of the Mothers Pizza franchise and Casey's Restaurants all owned at that time by Yesac corporation, which I followed with stints at Mr Grummps downtown by the Eaton Centre, opening O'tooles Restaurants and on, eventually
G.M.ing restaurants & nightclubs with live entertainment. I also wrote columns and produced Cable TV shows for Rogers and Shaw Cable that included me visiting various restaurants which was a predecessor to today's
Rogers TV show models. Each Show - called "Out & About" would include a segment I entitled "On A Serious Note", which focused on a good cause every show which often would include a restaurant attachment of some sort.
At Pat & Marios, to save labour cost when the doorman wasn't there, I'd fill in alongside the ever whiny- voiced G.M. Bernie, or the fat man as some referred to him as behind his back. I'll never forget when a cook was giving him an excuse regarding why an order had screwed up and he yelled,
"If I want excuses I'll talk to Tom!"
We all howled! I learned a lot there however including how to talk to people and deescalate explosive situations. It didn't help we were located right across from "the projects", a maze of Toronto housing units ripe with drugs. I got
sucker punched in the bar area one night by a local nutbar who was always trouble, leading to his banishment and my wake-up call as to the type of crazies that are out there and how a touch too much alcohol on some can be lethal.That all began in the 80's, those were the days! Ha!
Now back to my dinner!
I'd been given some tables to put local bodies in to eat free, part of a typical procedure that every
Lone Star Texas Grill now does when they open a new one, a very cool concept. In order to get prepared before opening to the paying public, it's quite common to have a mock run through whereby 1/2 the restaurant staff would greet, seat, cook & serve, while the other half would act as ordering patrons. Sometimes the menu would be preset as to what you could order to ensure the staff got practice on all the dishes. Lone Star does this but they also hold another evening wherein
members of the community have been contacted and invited in with allowances for up to 4 people per table to order off the menu which gives the staff additional experience before they actually open. Lone Star does even one more preopening event as well, as part of their
"Texas Charm", by hosting one last rehearsal service before opening to the public for
a local charity, which is certainly an innovative idea...but hey never mind the chatter..let's eat!
Upon our arrival we were greeted by some young countryesque hostesses and an attending manager who saw to it we were given a warm welcome - something I've often found lacking in Newmarket - particularly with some
complacent chains who's managers are never close enough to the action to gauge how their customers really feel. Everyone thought East Side Marios would be here
forever but they're
not, because ultimately if value is relatively the same then a competing
welcoming and fun atmosphere will win out every time, and frankly that place had the worst service in town and a non-caring attitude for the most part which, to that end, the staff at the
new Lone Star in
Newmarket seem to be a very enthusiastic crew. A quick look around and the staff was always in perpetual motion, whether singing at a table or playfully tossing bread at customers, it seems to be a prerequisite there to engage the patrons..and often! Our waiter
Chris or Wild One as he's known in-house, although a little green, gave probably the best service I've had in all the years I've been in Newmarket - which is 20+. He would be right there as soon as an appetizer was done, kept on
table maintenance like clock-work,
checked in when appropriate, and had another fresh basket of fresh hot crisp nacho chips with cool tomato salsa, not too spicy but yummy, as soon as we were done. We were also served up a delicious conqueso tangy cheese dip splashed with jalapenos,
without prompting..Mmm...These things I notice, having been a waiter / manager, and was almost floored when he told me it was his first job waitering! As it turned out he'd been working back of the house in kitchens for some time in other restaurants which really gives him superior food knowledge too a definite asset..easy attitude not phony..He got
4 stars from me out of 5 and a cool $20 on the side later that we insisted on! ha!
Video includes visit to Lone Star by the Duke Himself!
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