The Red Skillet

Admit it. You have all eaten there and loved it and I bet you ordered the hot hamburg platter didn't you - with gravy. Some of you may have even worked there - or at least a place very like it, I know I did. My one week stint in a hair net and apron was at the Kmart Grill in Calgary, Alberta as part of my manager trainee course. I cooked, served behind the counter, wiped tables and cleaned the grill and hated every minute. As a result, I have a lot of respect for those folks who still serve up what continues to be a reasonable facsimile of real food. You can't get liver and onions at McDonald's...

On a quick side note, mentioning that aromatic delicacy reminds me of the late Bill Yates - my old boss at Cabot Shipping Supplies. Bill was a dedicated patron of The Red Skillet and when he was on the road he would seek out a Zellers in every town - his meal of choice being liver and onions. I had the dubious pleasure of dining there with Bill a few times - I say dubious because, well you had to know Bill. He took a lot of ribbing from his partners who always wined and dined at The Ritz or the Top o' the Town... but Bill was a man who knew value when he saw it - and so do I.

There was nothing special about the Red Skillet - they just served up simple fare - hamburger platters, milk shakes, pies and fries and breakfast like you would eat at home. On real plates with real knives and forks... and coffee in a real cup. And you could sit wherever you wanted to - slide into a nice cozy booth or swivel on a stool.

The staff was almost always made up of women of a certain age, who wore support hose and sensible shoes and called you Honey and Dear. They made small talk and made you feel right at home - don't you wish there was still a restaurant like that around here?

Well there is! But alas - not for long. It is no longer called The Red Skillet but Zellers still serve a very respectable $3.99 senior breakfast special every Saturday morning and I highly recommend that you go there before they close and all that is left is a quick egg on a bun at Tim Horton's. At $3.99 for a full breakfast with a bottomless cup of coffee there should be a line up to get in, but where is everybody? Oh yeah, they are all lined up at Tim's - still in their cars. Shame on them.

There is no drive through at The Red Skillet - you still have to make your way there past the counters full of housewares and seasonal discount bargains, then take a left at ladies wear and there it is just past the luggage display. Seat yourself and relax, have a look at the plastic laminated menu - the waitress will be right with you.

I'll say it one more time - go eat at Zellers before it is too late. It's still the only restaurant in town where you can get a full service meal and pick up some underwear and a six pack of tube socks on the way out!

Oh - and don't forget to leave a nice generous tip for the waitress. She needs it more than you do.