A Bradford Street business has been serving customers for more than 120 years.
The Midway Diner, located at the corner of John Street not far from Centennial Beach, was originally a grocery store.
The moniker comes because of its location: halfway between the Kempenfelt Bay villages of Allandale and Barrie long before they became one town.
But now the location serves up what some people say are the best breakfast and lunch options around.
Wayne and Barbara Harris have been enjoying the fare for 40 years.
It’s all about the homemade food, they say.
“Saturday and Sunday are busy. We’d have to get here at 7 a.m.,” Wayne says.
“We’re from the 1950s,” says the spry 75-year-old Barbara, of her and her husband Wayne, who made road trips when lifestyles allowed.
Wayne adds that the couple had their own lengthy travels back in the day.
“We did Route 66, the first highway to cross America,” he says, adding that trip is something that is reflected in the Midtown Diner.
“I come in here and I think about the late 50s or 60s. This place reminds me of that,” Barbara says. “The hospitality is so amazing.”
Donald Scott has been walking through the doors of the Midway for 18 years now.
“It’s special,” he says, while waiting for a Bradford Street bus. “It brings you back in time - like it’s the 50s - long before I was born.”
Owner Matthew Jones agrees with Wayne and Barbara Harris: the Bradford Street establishment can fill up pretty quick, especially since COVID-19 requires social distancing.
He’s been the owner since 2011, lives upstairs and has an easy walk to work.
“It’s more just like home,” he says while taking a quick break. “I’ve been in the business all my life. I sort of stumbled into it. I was in university and a bus boy at one point and I never really left (the industry).
“I cook, I serve tables: I do everything. I’m always here: whether it’s upstairs or downstairs. It’s always the Midway,” Jones says. “Today I’m doing the dishes and during the pandemic I’ve been doing some cooking. Usually, I’m out here on the floor serving with the waitress
“The customers have always been great,” he says. “The bulk of them have been coming here before I started. We’ve had couples (like Wayne and Barbara) who have been coming here for 40 years.”
The home-cooked style of cooking goes along with the homey atmosphere.
“We’re all just like a big family,” Jones says. “They’re very loyal and they’ve got me through this pandemic.
