An excerpt from my book going LOCAL!
My friends and I have been coming to Restless Oaks for a number of years on our way to the Finger Lakes wineries in New York State. It's always good to start with a great breakfast before a day of wine tasting. And since this place is only a half hour or so from home, but two hours from the lakes, it worked out perfectly for us. By the time we get to the first winery we have a solid meal in our stomachs and are ready to sample the fruit of the vine.
The Restless Oaks though is more than a great breakfast stop. It's a full-blown restaurant, museum and art gallery with a gift store and book shop on the side. The first clue to the Oaks' amazing multi-personality is the chainsaw-sculptured tree trunks inside and out. As you approach the entrance to the restaurant, you walk through a long covered wooden walkway and porch. All along the walkway are stones of all sizes with sayings etched in them. There's also a huge set of Toledo Scales at the end of the walkway, and I like to weigh myself before and after breakfast - this would be a very handy item when dieting.
The restaurant is divided into two main parts - a coffee shop and a beautiful dining room. In the dinning room you'll find a high wood ceiling, an enormous wooden beam spanning the width of the ceiling and a huge fireplace. Taxidermy, photos, wood sculpture and artwork adorn the walls, and the sea of wooden tables can accommodate about 100 people. It's hard to talk about Restless Oaks without mentioning wood, but it's not only part of the architecture, art and décor, it's the life blood of the community as well as the owners.
The Maguire family has owned and operated this wonderful roadside restaurant since 1984. Originally from Clearfield PA, the family moved to McElhattan to pursue a logging business and open a saw shop where they planned to sell everything from chain saws to axes. They built a modest log cabin structure for the shop but Jim Maguire and his son, Jim Jr., went to a local auction and bought restaurant equipment instead. Soon after, the Restless Oaks Restaurant opened its cabin doors.
I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Jr. on a visit one morning, and he invited me to ride along with him in his diesel pick-up while he took care of some things for the logging business. As we drove up into the mountains behind the restaurant he told me all about their place, their business practices and philosophy. When I asked about the sculptures he told me that instead of spending the entire advertising budget on ads, they use half of it to invest in artwork. He said, "People might forget our name five miles down the road but they may never forget what they've seen here."
He went on to explain that his mission is "To meet, greet and feed the folks. Make sure they have a good time and good food at an honest price and a good experience the whole time." He talked about his staff and how he encourages them to greet everyone as if they are the first customer of the day. "Even after the 199th person through the door, treat number 200 like the first. Remember, that even though you've seen [customers] all day, that's the first time they see you." I doubt the chain places have the philosophy that the Restless Oaks has. Stopping here at the Restless Oaks is always the right call. The folks here are always happy to see you, and if you're lucky enough to meet Jim Jr., you're in for a treat!
Enjoy!
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