Duncans Cafe — Restaurant in Collingwood

PLEASE Read Full Post – RACIST HOST - TERRY

We had seen good reviews for this place online so decided to come here for brunch. I walked in with my 5-year-old and waited in the line at the front door. There were only 2 groups ahead of us who were being seated pretty quickly. At first the host (Terry) seemed friendly; I was excited to be there. He seated the first group down. Then cleaned a few tables and came back to the line to ask the family in front of me how many – they said 5. He then looked at me, asked me the same, I said we are 8 and asked he if could accommodate. He muttered “That’s not happening before breakfast” as he continued down the line behind me and then stormed off before I could get clarification. He came back, took the family in front of me to their table – and avoided eye contact, I was unable to ask for clarification so I waited. It was at this point that I realized I was the only person of colour in the line-up. Being in disbelief I wanted to wait it out because I was not sure if breakfast ended at 11:30 or 12pm. I was in the line just prior to 11:30am. The host (Terry) proceeded to clean at least 3-4 tables, talked to other staff and customers and avoided coming back. I also noticed there was an entire empty section of tables (at least 6 tables of varying sizes, capable of seating 2-4 people per table), the patio was also completely empty. I wanted to ensure I was not jumping to conclusions. Maybe he had a reason for not being able to accommodate us before breakfast. When he finally walked up to the front again, I politely asked for clarification. I asked, “Are you able to accommodate a group of 8?” He very rudely said “NO!”. I asked him why he didn’t say that previously? He said “I was busy”. I proceeded to walk out.

My husband and my friend walked in a couple of mins later after seeing me obviously disturbed by the incident. The host -Terry, proceeded to ignore them completely for 10 minutes as well. He seated the people in front of them immediately after walking in and then ignored them while he went outside to clean empty patio tables- which were already clean. He was also seating people in the previously empty section.

This incident was particularly disturbing because I had my child with me for the first few mins of my wait in line. This man, Terry obviously made assumptions about us without having spoken to us. He didn’t say we would have to wait for a table; he didn’t say they were too busy or had reservations, just said “NO!”. Incredibly upsetting that we still have to experience this type of behaviour.

It was abundantly clear our group was turned away/ignored because of the colour of our skin.

It ended up working out better for us as our group of 8 went to another restaurant a few mins away (Iron Skillet) where we had amazing service. The staff there made our kids and family feel welcomed! The food was delicious and most importantly they were respectful and kind to us.

We will not be back...

Great service and food. My wife and I did a day trip to Collingwood. We've had some great meals up there eons ago when our fave breakfast place closed down. We had been to Duncans as a substitute and, at that time, it was your typical diner. Since then it seems to have changed ownership and menu. We had to wait in line for lunch but it was pretty fast and service was quite quick. Lattes were great. We ordered a large bowl of butternut squash soup to share. It was fabulous. Maybe a bit too peppery but we gobbled it down. Looks like they even sell a larger than large I am guessing for takeout. Now it is a bit pricey at $10 for a bowl but it was exceptional. I ordered a burger and my wife had the club sandwich with turkey. These are both pretty pricey at $17. Given the fact this was a very packed place with alot of orders I think the burger was quite decent. It was a little juicy but I would say it was just too lean a cut to be superb. A bit dry and chewy. Nonetheless it was quite good tasting. I'd love to try it when they are less busy but I'm not sure they are ever not busy. My wife's club was also quite good but given the soup she could not finish. All high quality ingredients from buns to breads and even bacon was way above average. Typically Collingwood can be a bit expensive for non fast food places but the difference in price is well worth it for those occasional special treats. They don't seem to serve fries but just roast potatoes. Now they are only open for breakfast and lunch so I am guessing the potatoes are the same for breakfast and lunch. I saw someone who had poutine and it looked amazing. I also saw some other guests with veggie rolls which also looked scrumptious. Great food and service even in spite of being a bit small and fully packed. Their soup seems to be a bit seller since they have 5 options. All products are home made so this is why the cost is a bit higher. There's certainly other menu items I'd love to try but sadly we are not up there very often. ...

Had lunch here based on Google reviews. Promptly seated in a booth that offered privacy, tables were also available but we chose a booth. Drink orders taken quickly (hot apple cider with cinnamon stick $5, delicious). My wife ordered the Montreal Smoked meat sandwich ($18) and I couldn't decide so I asked April our delightful smiling server what she recommended. She asked if I was hungry to which i said yes so she recommended the Quesadilla (with chicken or steak) $22. She added that the steak was striploin which I was pleased to hear as some restaurants will use a cheaper cut of beef. I scoffed when April said she has never seen anyone finish it as it is very filling. The food came in good time, hot and looked and tasted delicious. It was beautifully toasted and came with sour cream and a nice tasting probably home made salsa as it tasted fresh. My wife's Montreal smoked meat was piled high as promised with pickles and choice of mustards. Reasonably priced , clean and we enjoyed looking at the art work for sale on the walls while waiting for our food. If lunch was this good we look forward to returning for breakfast and dinner. BTW, April was right and I needed a box to take home the third quesadilla! Highly recommend. An easy 5 star, well done and thank you for a great...