outside dining area with new picnic tables and an outdoor heater plus the addition of a new pick-up window to better serve their hungry customers. Kathy and Irene both said that they will re-assess opening the doors for in restaurant dining in the Fall. When John’s Lunch wins awards for their amazing food, some of the fancier places in the city, where you would pay a lot more for less food, roll their eyes and turn their noses up to their accomplish- ments. But the interesting thing is when these same chefs are looking for great seafood that is affordable for their family, they are coming to John’s Lunch because they know the quality of the food that they will receive. To be honest the only comments Kathy and Irene truly care about are those of their customers. Don’t get me wrong they appreciate the awards and work hard to achieve them, but great reviews like the one left by Kim Sheeler of Halifax, Nova Scotia. “My first visit to John’s Lunch was in 1984, shortly after moving to Halifax. I tried the clams and chips, and my life was forever changed! “My first visit to John’s Lunch was in 1984, shortly after moving to Halifax. I tried the clams and chips, and my life was forever changed! ”
Or the one from Brian Barnes of Ottawa, Ontario who commented. “What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Best fish n chips in Canada, maybe the world.” We think this recommendation from Stephen Stone is spot on. “John’s Lunch – an institution since 1969 – serves the best clams and chips. The coleslaw – which is homemade is superb. They also have an assort - ment of other seafood dishes. The fish ’n’ chips is really delicious – the best in Canada (you can look it up). The service is top notch. If you come to Dartmouth, head out on Pleasant Street until you get to John’s Lunch. Treat yourself to a heaping plate of deep-fried whole clams and a side of slaw. Tell them a long-time customer sent you.” It is these types of reviews from paying custom- ers that let people know what to expect from John’s Lunch and why it has become the iconic brand it is today and one of the stops on John Catucci’s “Big Food Bucket List.” All I can say is whether it is dining in or taking out, if you want amazing fresh seafood at a great value you need to put our friends at John’s Lunch on your foodie bucket list for your next trip to Dartmouth when you are out exploring Nova Scotia.
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021 Although the restaurant itself and the staff did not change when the business transitioned, one thing that did change was its online presence. Social media such as Facebook and Instagram play a huge roll in business now especially with Another important part of the transition of the business is when it comes to the retention of staff. Kathy told us when her and Irene took over the business when she added up the years of combined service of the team that it was over two hundred years of experience with some employ- ees dating back to when John originally owned the business. In a time when most restaurants are struggling to find servers and other staff it says a lot about the culture of John’s Lunch. When Kathy and Irene purchased the restau - rant, Stratos former partner also opened a new restaurant however, not a single member of the staff moved to the new restaurant. This says a lot again about the culture and what it is like to work as part of this team, and it goes without saying that the John’s Lunch team is definitely a family that supports each other. If you ever have the opportunity to eat at this iconic diner you will see that yes; they have a lot of fun, but they do take the success of the brand and the customer experience very seriously.
younger customers and for those travelling to the area looking for places to eat during their visit to the area. Kathy and Irene want to make sure that they can find the diner when visitors are here or when they are planning their visit. Plus, increased social media presence allows the diner to stay engaged and connect with their loyal cus- tomers and keep our hungry fans up to date with operational changes, specials, and holiday hours. The website has also been updated to allow cus- tomers to order and pay online for orders. They have also joined the delivery platforms like Skip and Uber to help satisfy their seafood cravings. All of these updates have played an important role for the business’s survival when the food industry shut down in Nova Scotia for in restau- rant dining because of the covid pandemic. Speaking of the covid pandemic, John’s Lunch was one of the first restaurants in HRM to close their doors because of the outbreak of the first wave of the pandemic. The restaurant was closed from March 17th until June 15th, when it reopened for takeout only. Both Kathy and Irene said it was one of the best decisions that they made to protect both their staff and custom- ers. Both owners have said they will continue to operate with only the takeout options for the summer and have invested in upgrading their
69
68
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online