VICTORIA, B.C. –
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 …