A new Cora Breakfast and Lunch restaurant is opening in Chatham on Monday.
The restaurant, located at 595 St. Clair Street, opens to customers Monday, but a company media release states the grand opening will be held April 12 when founder Cora Tsouflidou and local owners-franchisees will welcome dignitaries and guests for a true celebration: the symbolic egg-cracking ceremony when the restaurant’s first omelet will be made.
“The new location is part of a nationwide expansion of the Cora network, making it the 37th restaurant in Ontario for the largest sit-down breakfast chain in Canada,” adds the release.
Tsouflidou originated the concept in 1987 when, as a single mother of three in need of a career, she bought a small, abandoned diner on Côte-Vertu Boulevard in Montreal’s St-Laurent area, focusing solely on breakfast (egg dishes, fresh fruit, cheese, cereal, omelets, pancakes and French toast).
“The restaurant quickly became the talk of the town, often with lineups out the door,” according to the release. “Madame Cora’s astute entrepreneurial instincts told her that this was a concept that could be franchised.”
The Cora restaurant chain is famous for its breakfasts, boasting mounds of fresh fruit artfully prepared by specially trained on-site “fruiters.”
Over the years, inspired by family traditions, customer requests and suggestions from her children, Tsouflidou has created more than 100 menu ideas, many still bearing the names of the customers or family members who inspired them.