Photo Karen Graham.
Manager, Ormie Francis, and owners, Sammy and Peter Joshi, in front of their restaurant at the corner of Brown Line and County Road #28 that has become a popular neighbourhood haunt. Missing is Manager, Tammy Aucoin.
It was a rough start for this new family restaurant which was set to open when the first pandemic lockdown occurred.
At the end of June 2020 when restrictions eased, Sammy’s Roadhouse n Grill owners, Sam and Peter Joshi, with the help of experienced restauranteur, Vik, opened the patio and began to serve casual, pub fare – sausages, wings, burgers, and beer. They soon found a loyal audience.
Through the ups and downs of the following months, they created a family atmosphere maintaining a restricted capacity, which encouraged customer interaction. It’s a practice they continue, keeping the customer counts to forty. Their customers are regular and hyper-local. It’s like they feel it is their restaurant.
This is a family-friendly restaurant offering a wide variety of good food at reasonable prices. The menu has expanded gradually and now includes a few ethnic dishes including butter chicken and jerk chicken. The most popular items are ribs and wings, and lasagna has become a new favourite as well.
On the weekend, the restaurant transforms into a pub filled with music. Friday nights now include live performances, filling a void in the local landscape for places where adults can go for an evening of good music. Brian Tisdale is the most frequent performer and is often backed by the band Checkmate. Last weekend the group played a charity performance with the audience donating toys to contribute to the Legion Toy Drive. The restaurant has bands booked right up until the end of December and plan to continue this through the New Year. Next week the Acoustically Hip will entertain, with dinner at 6pm and the show running from 7 to 11pm.
This summer, the owners were joined by two experienced managers to help run the operation. Ormie Francis from Bob Kelly Automotive and Parkway Transmission and Tammy Aucoin, perhaps best known for her role as former President of the Maple Leaf Cavan Soccer Club and administrator for Millbrook Town Hoopla, both joined the staff. They were drawn to the business by the great food a desire to provide managerial support to help make the fledgling restaurant succeed.
The restaurant is available for private events, and staff are happy to provide catering services as well. They have recently signed up with Uber Eats and can arrange delivery anywhere within Cavan-Monaghan Township.
On Sunday, December 12th the focus will turn to families when the restaurant will host a craft show from 11am to 4pm. Bring a toy for the Legion toy drive and get a free photo with Santa.
While they may be new to the neighbourhood, the entrepreneurs behind Sammy’s Roadhouse have found a way to create a new family, and it seems their adopted neighbours are embracing them with enthusiasm. For more information, visit their website at www.sammysroadhousengrill.ca. KG
