04/17/2026
Well Served
The Story:
This is Danny and Bonnie MacInnis, these folks have feed me longer than my own parents. It started with the Newfie Fries. For those who don't know I am from NFLD and that dish in particular speaks of home. So when I was waltzing down Main St. and saw on the sandwich sign outside the restaurant that they were serving my most savored meal from home I popped in and was immediately surprised at the nostalgic vibe to the whole place. The service, the seats, the sights and smells all spoke to this old school diner aesthetic that just lets your guard down.
In particular the people of the Tea Room were a class apart, there was always time for a yarn.. when you placed your order at the counter, when your food was brought to your table and when I brought my tray back. It was often the usual fare, how is your day and so on, but more often than not a personal nugget of what you were really going through would be conveyed and a closeness achieved that made these people your friends.. I am thinking of you Debbie, Mary and Margie, as well as Danny and Bonnie. Heck, I even met my lawyer here, Bill Meehan and numerous other local characters which I would later join for lunches just on a whim. This is one of my haunts where "the usual" was suffice to get an order started, and in the final months I would have the privilege of calling that same order in ahead of time and when I arrived my food was on the table within a minute and like a king I would be in and out and on with my day. But there lies the magic of the Tea Room, you never really leave, it acted as a sort of heart beat for the town and with a visit inside their walls you got a sense of the broader community.
These folks were good to their people, from Christmas Dinners for those that might not have one, to pay it forward programs they were a boon to any in need and absolutely nonchalant about all that good work, proper champions of the town.
As I setup there page Bonnie messaged me today to help in taking it down, she thanked me for being such a good customer and I felt that because they closed in my absence I wanted to request that they let me take this photo and do a little write up today. The thing is, this place was so special I needed closure, not just the place, but again with the people. So in meeting them for this photo I got to hear from them directly what it all meant.. it was about family. The place was inherited from Bonnie's parents (Kaye and Chester), all of their kids worked there over the years, and with 15 years under their belt it was time to relish in the company of the grand kids, which will total 8 in a month or so when the newest addition joins the party. Indeed, its a break that is well deserved after taking care of all of us, so well, for so long, like family.
Today as they hand the keys over to the next tenant please join me in a fond farewell, a tip of the hat, a nod and wink and a heartfelt hug onto whatever green pastures await them. Parting is such sweet sorrow, but with years of fond memories and food to draw upon the balance is overwhelmingly appreciative.
Big Love to your whole tribe 💙
