The Wayside Restaurant is an American restaurant in Berlin, Vermont.
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| Founded | 1918 |
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| Founder | Effie Ballou |
| Headquarters | Berlin, Vermont |
Key people | Brian and Karen Zechinelli |
| Products | American cuisine
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History
editThe Wayside was founded in 1918 by Effie Ballou who lived behind it.[1] She baked pies and other baked goods at home and walked them down the hill to the roadside diner which was a simple building alongside U.S. Route 302. The parking lot of the restaurant is in Montpelier but the building itself is in Berlin.[2] The house behind the restaurant has housed every owner of the Wayside since then.[3]
The Fish family operated the restaurant between 1945 and 1966.[4] The business was purchased by the Galfetti family in 1966. They expanded the footprint of the restaurant seven times. Brian Zechinelli and Karen (Galfetti) Zechinelli have run the restaurant since 1998. The restaurant has expanded to have 160-seats including twenty at the counter.[5] It is a family restaurant open seven days a week.[1] In 2018 it served approximately 1000 diners per day.[6]
Food
edit
The Wayside's menu is large, tending towards traditional home-style foods. They are known for their maple cream pies, salt pork with milk gravy, red flannel hash and daily seasonal specials.[7][8] The restaurant has a full bar and serves many locally made beers and spirits.[9] The Wayside has been composting all of its kitchen waste since 2015.[10] The restaurant makes all its own baked goods and ice cream.[2]
As of 2018 the restaurant employed 60 people "with a combined years of service of over 600 years."[9] Six employees have worked at the restaurant for over twenty-five years.[3]
Honors and awards
editThe Galfetti and Zecchinelli families received the Vermont Legacy Achievement Award from the University of Vermont in 2015.[11] It was first Vermont certified "Green Restaurant;" the building has six rooftop solar hot water panels and a 2,160 panel ground-mounted array as part of a community solar array located in Weathersfield, Vermont.[12] The Food Network named their maple cream pie as the official Iconic Pie for Vermont.[13][14] Eric Asimov from The New York Times has called the food at the Wayside "the true taste of Vermont."[15]
References
edit- ^ a b "This Place in History: Wayside Restaurant (December 22, 2021)". YouTube. Vermont Historical Society. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ a b Hallenbeck, Brent (2018-07-20). "Wayside Restaurant in Berlin, Vermont, turns 100 years old". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ a b Brown, Tom (2018-06-23). "The Wayside Restaurant Turns 100 Years Old—and Aims for More". The Montpelier Bridge. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ "Obituary: Mrs. Amy C. Fish". The Barre Daily Times. September 18, 1952. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ Levitt, Alice (2010-01-13). "Counter Intelligence". Seven Days. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ "Wayside turning 90". Times Argus. 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ Stern, Jane and Michael. "Yankee Flavors". RoadFood. Gourmet Magazine. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ Calta, Marialisa (1989-01-25). "At the Nation's Table". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ a b Noyes, Amy Kolb (2018-07-13). "Montpelier's Wayside Restaurant Celebrates A Century Of Comfort Food". Vermont Public. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ Brown, Tom (2015-05-07). "Wayside Restaurant Turns Food Scraps Into Compost". The Montpelier Bridge. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ "Local family business celebrated". Vermont Business Magazine. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ "Wayside Restaurant joins small business community solar alliance". Vermont Business Magazine. 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ Fleishman, Scott (2019-11-10). "Wayside pie honored by Food Network". WCAX. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ Zimmer, Erin (2017-02-08). "50 States of Pie". Food Com. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ Asimov, Eric (1997-09-21). "Where to Eat Like a Vermonter". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-09-18.