What is a restaurant if not a place to gather? In a post-pandemic world, where delivery services such as Skip the Dishes and DoorDash have become common, we have often forgotten the simple appeal of a welcoming restaurant where we can gather as a family or share a laugh with our friends at a weekly lunch date.
Stepping into The Eatery Junction, outside of Orangeville on Hwy 10, is like stepping back in time into a diner of old. The bright clean space with a wide counter to greet you, neat tables of bright teal and matching chairs harken back to a time when the diner was the heart of the community, the place where you could grab a quality meal and have a chat with the friendly staff. A feeling that will only strengthen as they have time to grow into themselves, adding the finishing touches, such as a jukebox and neon signage, that they’re hoping to collect.
It’s that family atmosphere that The Eatery Junction wants to lean into. They are passionate about providing food and service to each customer as if they were their own family – something that is made more important by always presenting a familiar face in the kitchen. Those who have already discovered The Eatery Junction, know that the familiar face of Mike in the kitchen and the same staff out front will greet them time and time again. Too often, with chain restaurants, the anonymous turn over in the kitchen means that no one is held accountable for the quality of the food. Mike, however, who has been in the business for 16 years, has a passion not just for cooking but for doing things correctly, part of which comes directly from his daughter, Aubrey; he wants to make sure that each plate that he serves meets the highest standard of cooking and service. “It’s like every plate I’m sending out is going to my mom” he stated as we chatted. “That’s the quality that I want to be known for.”
This passion for quality food and service is what has driven The Eatery Junction to ensure that everything they serve is made with locally sourced food and is always made fresh daily. This applies to everything from their all-day breakfast to their Indian staples. Casual dining done well is what they are aiming for; they pull on the theme of familiar comfort foods, things you’d eat with your family, with daily specials and freshly made soup. After all, that is what it all comes down to for The Eatery Junction. They treat each plate as if it were going to a trusted family member, and moreover, they want you, their customers, to feel as if you are part of the family whenever you have the time to visit.
Among this freshness and quality, The Eatery Junction has started to really make a name for themselves with their fresh made burgers and hand-cut fries. These burgers come in a variety of flavours from Swiss melts to fully loaded double patties, all made with fresh, never frozen patties from locally sourced beef. Beef not your style? That’s not a worry as they also have variety of alternative options including chicken, fish and black bean vegetarian patties.
So quickly has word of mouth spread on these burgers that when their staff ran out to offer a menu to an officer who had been stuck blocking traffic out in front of their store for a while, just a mere month or so after they had opened, he’d already heard about their amazing burgers and that he (everyone) should check them out!
With all this freshness, one might think that would mean that the prices would be creeping out of range for the average person; after all, the claim for using quick or frozen product is in the name of saving money. However, The Eatery Junction works hard to keep their prices reasonable while still sourcing quality. It’s just another sign of their passion for ensuring that they are providing a service to their customers that they can appreciate – that can make them feel like family.
Moreover, open at 7AM, they’re ready for the morning school commute, truck drivers or anyone on Hwy 10 who might be in a rush and is looking to stop in for ready-made sandwiches, Friday through Sunday.
Although they are taking it slow, ensuring that they have their footing before they rush forward with too much momentum, the ideas and possibilities of where The Eatery Junction can go certainly feel endless at the moment. It’s impossible to know what ideas will stay or go, but what can be said is that The Eatery Junction is a quality diner that is passionate about serving delicious familiar dishes, and making everyone who enters feel like family.
WRITTEN BY: JILLIAN KENT | PHOTOS & RESOURCES: THE EATERY JUNCTION
