Many things on Hamilton's lakefront have changed since 1946, but not Hutch's
By Meredith Macleod
The Hamilton Spectator(Jun 12, 2006)
In the heyday of Hamilton's beach strip, there was a bevy of waterfront eating options.
The Cove, Poplars, Wilson's, the Lakeside and Edgewater hotels and the Brant Inn were all doing a roaring business in the 1940s and '50s. Only one has survived from that era and celebrates its 60th anniversary this year -- Hutch's.
More than just survive, Hutch's has become as much a part of Hamilton as steel, the escarpment and the lake it has overlooked for generations.
Now there are three locations: Van Wagner's Beach Road (west of the original location), Bay Street at Bayfront Park opened 10 years ago and the Stoney Creek Dairy, reopened almost two years ago after a bankruptcy interrupted 20 years of operation.
The three sites employ 140 people and all are open year round.
If founder Bill Hutchinson Sr. were alive today, he would find not much has changed at the iconic Hamilton eatery famous for its hamburgers and fish and chips. There is still the neon-lit smiling chef, tossing french fries into a fryer which has welcomed generations of customers.
There are still sports pictures and memorabilia lining the walls, the jukebox playing Elvis and the Temptations, the plastic covered booths, the seagulls hoping to have a chip thrown their way.
"People love that it hasn't changed," says Rick Creechan, general manager of Hutch's on the beach. "People come in here all the time and say, 'Thank God this place is still the same'."
But nostalgia will only get you so far. "If you have good food, people keep coming back," says Bill Hutchinson Jr., who has owned the business since his father passed away in 1997. Hutchinson manages the Bayfront and Stoney Creek locations with his wife, Cindy.
"That's why we've lasted this long. People come for the food."
Apparently. At the beach site in a week in the summer, Hutch's serves up about 57,000 kilograms of potatoes, 400 pounds of hamburgers and 800 pounds of fish. Hutchinson stresses that it's still the same old recipes for handcut fries and pounded patties.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
The change that has come has been reluctantly accepted. The elder Hutchinson, fresh out of a stint in the air force, opened the eatery in 1946 after buying the Dingley Dell Cottages. They were where the Conservation Authority's Adventure Village is now. The main building and a few cottages were painted white and orange and Hutchinson started serving hotdogs and hamburgers at Hutch's Dingley Dell. That name remains officially on the beach location.
Hutch convinced a friend, Lou Griffiths, to start serving fish and chips out of a booth beside his hamburger stand.
So for years, if you wanted a burger and chips, you waited in two lines. If you wanted fish and chips and a drink - two lines.
No one seemed to mind.
The food came piled high on cardboard plates. Busloads of sports teams came to Hutch's after their games. The restaurant's sports theme was no accident. Hutch was a talented hockey and lacrosse player in his youth.
The buildings were not in the best of shape. There were lots of leaks, creaky floors and bad wiring but the charm of Hutch's was apparent. A stop at Hutch's became a must for many QEW travellers. Just like Hamilton, there was nothing fancy about it, but you had a great time every time you went. There was talk at times of franchising Hutch's, but it's hard to imagine it anywhere but Hamilton.
A visit to Hutch's became a weekly ritual for many Hamilton families. Hutch made a point of remembering regulars' names and was known for telling jokes and stories while customers waited for their food. His wife, Marg, cooked out back and later his sons, Bill and Jim, were put to work, too.
In fact, they literally grew up at Hutch's. The family lived in a house in the back of the main building. Hutchinson Sr. bought out the fish and chip operation in the late '70s but the kitchens remained separate until 16 years ago.
That's when Hutch's had to move.
The conservation authority wanted the land for batting cages and a miniputt. Hutch had fended off being forced to move in the early 1960s when the land was expropriated by the city for Confederation Park. Officials soon realized the park would need a restaurant and Hutch negotiated a deal to rent his own place back month to month.
Eventually, development beckoned and Hutch's had to build another location a few hundred metres west. All the memorabilia came along and the food stayed exactly the same but many were skeptical.
"We kept hearing, 'It's not going to be the same.' We knew that putting the two kitchens together was the best thing we could do, but we didn't know if we would have the customers."
But the hungry hordes continued to come. There was more parking at the new spot and big windows that showed off the lake.
It's estimated 400,000 people are served each year at the beach. Creechan says the waterfront trail plays a big part.
"It's just been sensational as far as attracting people from outside the area. There's no other place you can park for free and get out to walk or bike as long as you want."
The junior Hutchinson wasn't convinced when his business partner, Rod Stiles, said he found a perfect spot for another Hutch's on Bay Street North. Other locations, including one on Main Street West, hadn't worked out. But the evolution of Bayfront Park and the surrounding North End waterfront has brought many customers through the doors, says Hutchinson.
"It's been a great spot for us. We are really happy with what the city has done down there."
Two years ago, Hutch's returned to Stoney Creek. It had operated out of Stoney Creek Dairy for close to 20 years when the family-owned ice cream landmark was sold in 1996.
New owners reopened the dairy bar in 2002, putting Hutchinson and Stiles in charge.
In the summer of 2004, the fryers came back and Hutch's was reborn in Stoney Creek. Creechan cares as much about Hutch's as if it was his family's.
He started at Hutch's almost 30 years ago at 18. It was supposed to be a summer job selling hamburgers.
"It's been a long summer," he laughs, "but I don't know what else I'd like to do this much."
mmacleod@thespec.com
905-526-3408
Don't mess with what works
Biggest challenge:
Creechan: "Switching locations and coming down here. People thought it wouldn't be the same. In hindsight, it was the best thing for us, but at the time it was tough."
Biggest surprise:
Hutchinson: "Going back to the Stoney Creek Dairy after getting booted out and taking over the dairy bar. It was a big turnaround for us."
Best decision:
Creechan: "When we went nonsmoking ahead of other people in about 1994. We took a lot of flack for it but when we saw the strollers come in here with four people in exchange for one cranky smoker, we knew we made the right decision. People who said they wouldn't come back were sneaking back a few months later."
Worst decision:
Hutchinson: "Nothing stands out that cost us big time. It all seems to have fallen into place somehow."
Learn the most:
Creechan/Hutchinson: "Being here and doing it. Every day is on-the-job training."
Best advice given:
Creechan: "Mr. Hutch used to say, 'Stay with what you know.' It's worked for Hutch's."
Best advice to give:
Creechan: "Find the best people you can and let them do their jobs. We have great longtime employees here and you don't have to worry when you have people like that. We all literally grew up in this place. They'll make you look a lot better than what you are."
Secret to success:
Hutchinson: "Leaving it the way it is. Not messing with what's working and keeping the quality up."
Photo#1- Barry Gray, the Hamilton Spectator
Rick Creechan, seated, and Bill Hutchinson say Hutch's at the beach serves up about 57,000 kilograms of potatoes, 400 pounds of hamburgers and 800 pounds of fish a week in the summer.
Photos #2 & #3- Forum Photos donated by Hutch's
By Meredith Macleod
The Hamilton Spectator(Jun 12, 2006)
In the heyday of Hamilton's beach strip, there was a bevy of waterfront eating options.
The Cove, Poplars, Wilson's, the Lakeside and Edgewater hotels and the Brant Inn were all doing a roaring business in the 1940s and '50s. Only one has survived from that era and celebrates its 60th anniversary this year -- Hutch's.
More than just survive, Hutch's has become as much a part of Hamilton as steel, the escarpment and the lake it has overlooked for generations.
Now there are three locations: Van Wagner's Beach Road (west of the original location), Bay Street at Bayfront Park opened 10 years ago and the Stoney Creek Dairy, reopened almost two years ago after a bankruptcy interrupted 20 years of operation.
The three sites employ 140 people and all are open year round.
If founder Bill Hutchinson Sr. were alive today, he would find not much has changed at the iconic Hamilton eatery famous for its hamburgers and fish and chips. There is still the neon-lit smiling chef, tossing french fries into a fryer which has welcomed generations of customers.
There are still sports pictures and memorabilia lining the walls, the jukebox playing Elvis and the Temptations, the plastic covered booths, the seagulls hoping to have a chip thrown their way.
"People love that it hasn't changed," says Rick Creechan, general manager of Hutch's on the beach. "People come in here all the time and say, 'Thank God this place is still the same'."
But nostalgia will only get you so far. "If you have good food, people keep coming back," says Bill Hutchinson Jr., who has owned the business since his father passed away in 1997. Hutchinson manages the Bayfront and Stoney Creek locations with his wife, Cindy.
"That's why we've lasted this long. People come for the food."
Apparently. At the beach site in a week in the summer, Hutch's serves up about 57,000 kilograms of potatoes, 400 pounds of hamburgers and 800 pounds of fish. Hutchinson stresses that it's still the same old recipes for handcut fries and pounded patties.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
The change that has come has been reluctantly accepted. The elder Hutchinson, fresh out of a stint in the air force, opened the eatery in 1946 after buying the Dingley Dell Cottages. They were where the Conservation Authority's Adventure Village is now. The main building and a few cottages were painted white and orange and Hutchinson started serving hotdogs and hamburgers at Hutch's Dingley Dell. That name remains officially on the beach location.
Hutch convinced a friend, Lou Griffiths, to start serving fish and chips out of a booth beside his hamburger stand.
So for years, if you wanted a burger and chips, you waited in two lines. If you wanted fish and chips and a drink - two lines.
No one seemed to mind.
The food came piled high on cardboard plates. Busloads of sports teams came to Hutch's after their games. The restaurant's sports theme was no accident. Hutch was a talented hockey and lacrosse player in his youth.
The buildings were not in the best of shape. There were lots of leaks, creaky floors and bad wiring but the charm of Hutch's was apparent. A stop at Hutch's became a must for many QEW travellers. Just like Hamilton, there was nothing fancy about it, but you had a great time every time you went. There was talk at times of franchising Hutch's, but it's hard to imagine it anywhere but Hamilton.
A visit to Hutch's became a weekly ritual for many Hamilton families. Hutch made a point of remembering regulars' names and was known for telling jokes and stories while customers waited for their food. His wife, Marg, cooked out back and later his sons, Bill and Jim, were put to work, too.
In fact, they literally grew up at Hutch's. The family lived in a house in the back of the main building. Hutchinson Sr. bought out the fish and chip operation in the late '70s but the kitchens remained separate until 16 years ago.
That's when Hutch's had to move.
The conservation authority wanted the land for batting cages and a miniputt. Hutch had fended off being forced to move in the early 1960s when the land was expropriated by the city for Confederation Park. Officials soon realized the park would need a restaurant and Hutch negotiated a deal to rent his own place back month to month.
Eventually, development beckoned and Hutch's had to build another location a few hundred metres west. All the memorabilia came along and the food stayed exactly the same but many were skeptical.
"We kept hearing, 'It's not going to be the same.' We knew that putting the two kitchens together was the best thing we could do, but we didn't know if we would have the customers."
But the hungry hordes continued to come. There was more parking at the new spot and big windows that showed off the lake.
It's estimated 400,000 people are served each year at the beach. Creechan says the waterfront trail plays a big part.
"It's just been sensational as far as attracting people from outside the area. There's no other place you can park for free and get out to walk or bike as long as you want."
The junior Hutchinson wasn't convinced when his business partner, Rod Stiles, said he found a perfect spot for another Hutch's on Bay Street North. Other locations, including one on Main Street West, hadn't worked out. But the evolution of Bayfront Park and the surrounding North End waterfront has brought many customers through the doors, says Hutchinson.
"It's been a great spot for us. We are really happy with what the city has done down there."
Two years ago, Hutch's returned to Stoney Creek. It had operated out of Stoney Creek Dairy for close to 20 years when the family-owned ice cream landmark was sold in 1996.
New owners reopened the dairy bar in 2002, putting Hutchinson and Stiles in charge.
In the summer of 2004, the fryers came back and Hutch's was reborn in Stoney Creek. Creechan cares as much about Hutch's as if it was his family's.
He started at Hutch's almost 30 years ago at 18. It was supposed to be a summer job selling hamburgers.
"It's been a long summer," he laughs, "but I don't know what else I'd like to do this much."
mmacleod@thespec.com
905-526-3408
Don't mess with what works
Biggest challenge:
Creechan: "Switching locations and coming down here. People thought it wouldn't be the same. In hindsight, it was the best thing for us, but at the time it was tough."
Biggest surprise:
Hutchinson: "Going back to the Stoney Creek Dairy after getting booted out and taking over the dairy bar. It was a big turnaround for us."
Best decision:
Creechan: "When we went nonsmoking ahead of other people in about 1994. We took a lot of flack for it but when we saw the strollers come in here with four people in exchange for one cranky smoker, we knew we made the right decision. People who said they wouldn't come back were sneaking back a few months later."
Worst decision:
Hutchinson: "Nothing stands out that cost us big time. It all seems to have fallen into place somehow."
Learn the most:
Creechan/Hutchinson: "Being here and doing it. Every day is on-the-job training."
Best advice given:
Creechan: "Mr. Hutch used to say, 'Stay with what you know.' It's worked for Hutch's."
Best advice to give:
Creechan: "Find the best people you can and let them do their jobs. We have great longtime employees here and you don't have to worry when you have people like that. We all literally grew up in this place. They'll make you look a lot better than what you are."
Secret to success:
Hutchinson: "Leaving it the way it is. Not messing with what's working and keeping the quality up."
Photo#1- Barry Gray, the Hamilton Spectator
Rick Creechan, seated, and Bill Hutchinson say Hutch's at the beach serves up about 57,000 kilograms of potatoes, 400 pounds of hamburgers and 800 pounds of fish a week in the summer.
Photos #2 & #3- Forum Photos donated by Hutch's