It’s the end of an era in the North Okanagan, where a beloved local restaurant is shutting its doors after more than two decades in operation.
For more than 20 years, Neil Todd and his wife, Carolyn Todd-Russell, have owned the Brown Derby in Armstrong.
It’s a place where time has stood still.
The cost of a full breakfast of eggs, meat, fries, toast and jam has always been just $2.99.
“It is 1998 here some days. It really is,” Todd joked.
“Margins weren’t great at the end … We always did volume. We were always a busy busy little joint. We were able to do it that way.”
Those 1990s prices have impressed customers.
“It is simply amazing. It is one of a kind,” said customer Ruth Anne Sabourin.
The retro prices were served up along with a sense of community and no-nonsense service.
“The customer is a necessary evil. They are not necessarily always right. So we always just did what we wanted to do and people either dug it or they didn’t and a lot of people did because it was fun to be here. It was real. I always thought it was real,” Todd said.
- Roll Up To Win? Tim Hortons says $55K boat win email was ‘human error’
- Bird flu risk to humans an ‘enormous concern,’ WHO says. Here’s what to know
- Halifax homeless encampment hits double capacity, officials mull next step
- Ontario premier calls cost of gas ‘absolutely disgusting,’ raises price-gouging concerns
After keeping it real for more than two decades, the owners have decided to retire.
“We were trying for 25 years, but we made it 23. We figure pandemic years count for two.”
The owners plan to turn the restaurant back into a home and live in it.
Those looking for one last Brown Derby breakfast have until the end of the month to visit. The Brown Derby is set to close for good at noon on Dec. 31.
Comments