A new summer food option for East St. Paul

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/05/2013 (4541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I knocked on my wood desk before I wrote this next sentence: It looks like spring is finally here. We are starting to see more and more people out walking, riding bikes and running through our neighbourhoods, and hopefully it won’t be long before we are slacking off for summer.

That’s not what’s happening for John Molloy, though. Normally his time in East St. Paul ends in April and doesn’t start again until September, but this year Grrrumpy’s Café and Pizza, operated by Molloy and located inside the East St. Paul Curling Club at 260 Hoddinott Rd., is staying open through the summer. It’s the first year the restaurant has been open after the end of curling banquets.

Molloy says, “I don’t expect a huge amount of business but, come fall, it’s like starting from scratch every year so I decided to stay open to keep the wheels oiled and maybe get some new customers.”

For residents like us, Grrrumpy’s is an option other than Jonesey’s, the Legion and Candy’s, and it will keep our dollars supporting local businesses. Molloy will be offering pizza, homemade chicken tenders and curly fries. It’s a pretty small menu, but the pizza is well-made and affordable and I have yet to hear anyone in ESP complain about a Grrrumpy’s meal.

Molloy says he has worked in kitchens all his life and is used to the heat but, since the curling club is not air conditioned and he will be relying on fans to circulate the air he will only be operating the pizza oven and deep fryer, therefore no burgers or dogs.  

You also won’t see ice cream or slushes yet, but Molloy says they are not out of the question if customers are asking for them.  

“Some people have said that it would be nice to put a seating area outside of the building. Well, there’s lots of things that would be nice…”

That goes for delivery too.  Molloy’s operation is small and delivery isn’t an option with this one-man operation.

Grrrumpy’s will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings throughout the summer from 4 to 9 p.m. Grrrumpy’s is also available to cater small parties of around 30 people (or more, John is pretty easy going).   

So, consider taking a stroll down Hoddinott on a summer evening for a snack, or pick up a pizza to take home. even if it means going a little out of your way

Cher Hebert is a community correspondent for East St. Paul. She can be contacted at cherhebert@shaw.ca.