A tourist looking for a meal in the remote northwestern B.C. town of Stewart may find the search challenging.
Certainly, Chris Svab and I found it different and interesting on our trip there.
Only two restaurants exist in this town of 500 year round residents – the King Edward Hotel and the Silverado.
On our first evening, we headed to the King Edward. Chris wanted to see if the new version was different from the one that burned down after he left here 49 years ago.
The restaurant was closed. A sign said the place was closed due to unforeseen circumstances.
We headed down Main Street to the Silverado. The friendly server told us we could only have pizza today. It was the cook’s day off.
The pizza was among the best I’ve ever had.
It was around 6 p.m. The place was really busy. We didn’t get out until 8:30.
The Silverado hours are from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Most people were okay with the limited menu choices and the long wait.
One older Italian woman left her family waiting for pizza while she stormed out shouting: “In Italy this never happens.”
Another customer, tired of waiting, poured the salt shaker on the table before leaving in a huff.
On our second morning, we had a nice breakfast at the King Edward.
The server told us closures are caused by lack of staff.
“Since Covid, we just can’t get enough people to work,” she said.
That afternoon we went to the Silverado as The King Edward had closed after noon.
The server, one of three adorable ones, told us no pizza today. The oven was on the fritz.
We could have anything else on the menu except fish and chips. They had run out of fish.
Next day we had breakfast at the King Edward and pizza at the Silverado.
Down the street sits a closed restaurant called Toasters. The King Edward server told us a couple from Mexico operated it.
“They made the mistake of crossing the border to Hyder.’’
On their return, Canada Customs discovered their papers weren’t in order. They were shipped back to Mexico.
On our final morning, the King Edward was again closed, so we had bacon and eggs for breakfast at a bakery.
To us, the restaurant situation was just part of the fun of travelling.
A ‘For Sale’ sign hangs on the Silverado. We were told the owners want to retire
The shortage of staff exists elsewhere in B.C.
The nice restaurant at the Kitimat motel where we stayed can’t open until 9 a.m. due to staffing issues.
A Kitimat resident told us of a restaurant with a sign reading: “Please be kind to those of our employees who showed up today.”
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
