The founder and namesake of Cora Breakfast and Lunch was in Red Deer Wednesday morning for an egg-cracking ceremony that officially opened the chain’s newest location.
Cora Tsouflidou was extremely pleased — but not surprised — to see hungry customers pack the restaurant located in North Gaetz Plaza at 6859 Gaetz Ave.
“Today, people are more and more aware of the importance of good food,” she said. “And people want quality . . . Cora is the answer to that.”
The successful businesswoman was a single mother looking to support her three teenage children in the 1980’s. She bought an abandoned diner in Montreal in 1987 and transformed it into a breakfast hot spot that offered fresh fruit, cheese, omelettes, crepes, waffles and french toast.
There are nearly 125 Cora locations across Canada, 11 of which are in Alberta as a restaurant opened in Airdrie today.
Over 100 savoury and sweet items are on the menu, which continues to feature 75 per cent of the original fare Tsouflidou first served 24 years ago.
The spinach and cheddar crepe is her favourite because of taste and nostalgia.
In the first year of business, Tsouflidou’s son thought she was crazy for adding chopped fresh spinach to her crepe mix. He believed no one would want to eat the vegetable for breakfast, she recalled.
“Now, the spinach and cheddar cheese crepe is one of our signature dishes,” she said.
The Cora menu also includes some lunch items like sandwiches, soups and salads, but the restaurant specializes in breakfast foods.
Business at the Red Deer location has been steady since it opened on Oct. 3 and was even lined up on the weekend, a common sight at all Cora locations, said franchise owners Lana and Jamie Hoover.
Many of the customers ate at Cora restaurants in others cities and are thrilled to finally have a local location, Jamie said.
“We’ve been open eight days and I would say we probably have a dozen regulars that have been in three times or more,” Lana Hoover said.
Tsouflidou visited with customers, including regulars Bob and Louise Elliot of Red Deer who have already eaten two and three times respectively at the Red Deer restaurant.
Bob said the couple has been hooked on the “absolutely fantastic” food since their son took them to the Coquitlam, B.C., location a few years ago.
Those who tried Cora for the first time on Wednesday didn’t leave disappointed.
“It’s heavenly food,” said first-time customer Shirley Jenkins of Blackfalds, who posed for a photo with Tsouflidou.
Hearing that patrons enjoy the quality food thrills Tsouflidou.
“It’s not a duty to eat your food. It became a pleasure with Cora,” she said.
Cora Breakfast and Lunch is open Monday to Saturday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
ptrotter@redderadvocate.com