Let's Spoon

By Stephanie Bousquet
It’s a Sunday morning and the only thing getting many University of Connecticut students out of their warm beds is the thought of fluffy pancakes and fresh eggs at the Wooden Spoon Restaurant.
Serving breakfast and lunch daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Wooden Spoon is the closest thing to a home-cooked meal for many hungry college students. Located on Route 44 in Ashford, it offers old-fashioned customer service, affordable prices, and enormous portions, all things a college student can appreciate.
Owners Jean and Michelle Martin said they never anticipated their restaurant would have so much success. They opened the Wooden Spoon seven years ago when they realized there was nowhere to get a decent breakfast in the area. Business has been thriving ever since. Pleasing the customer has always been the restaurant’s top priority, according to the Martins.
“We know without customers we wouldn’t get a paycheck, so we make sure nobody leaves here unhappy,” said Jean Martin.
According to Jean Martin, the majority of their business comes from regular customers, like Natalie Curran, an out-of-state UConn student.
“My friends and I won’t usually travel far for food, but the ten-minute drive to breakfast is more than worth it,” said Curran, who makes her veggie-omelet breakfasts at the Wooden Spoon a weekly tradition.
As Curran and her four roommates pull into the crowded parking lot early Sunday morning, they don’t even flinch at sight of the hungry customers flooding the restaurant doorway. With only 15 small tables and a loyal following of students and locals, the restaurant always fills up fast. However, none of the girls in the car seem to have any complaints about having to wait in line for their favorite breakfast.
Inside the restaurant, waitresses move quickly from table to table, carrying large trays stacked high with breakfast orders and refilling empty coffee mugs. Within minutes, the groups of girls are seated at a red-leather booth in the corner. As the smell of warm pancakes and maple syrup fills the air, the girls erupt into a conversation about what to order. The waitress comes to take drink orders just as the girls are discussing the day’s specials, which include banana oatmeal pancakes and a grilled chicken and egg breakfast sandwich cleverly titled “Which Came First”.
The hardest part is deciding what to eat, according to the girls. Some of the most popular items are the plate-sized pancakes, omelets made to order, and the egg sandwiches. Along with their great selection of daily specials, every meal is served with a side of homefries cooked to order. It takes about ten minutes for the roommates to finalize their breakfast choices, which range from chocolate chip pancakes to eggs benedict.
“I order something a little different every time I come here and I am yet to have something I didn’t like,” said Angela Cillo, UConn senior, who decided to give the banana oatmeal pancakes a try.
Although there isn’t an empty seat in the restaurant, the women only wait about ten minutes for their breakfast. All at once, they perk up as they spy the waitress heading in their direction with a try full of food.
“When I’m hungry, I hate waiting,” said Darren Aldrich, a UConn student sitting at a nearby table. “That’s why my favorite part of the Wooden Spoon is their fast service…I’ve never had to wait more than fifteen minutes for a meal.”
Chatter at the girls’ table completely ceases once the food arrives. The table is full of every different type of breakfast food you could imagine. Hands start flying in every direction as the girls motion for the endless condiments around the table. Without hesitation, the girls dig in.
Fifteen minutes later, the only girl still eating at the table puts down her fork and slowly leans back in her seat. Around the booth, all the girls are smiling and look like they are ready for a mid-morning nap. The check arrives but even this doesn’t put a damper on their post-breakfast bliss. Including a generous tip, the bill for the five of them is still less than $50. The girls take their final sips of their coffee and prepare to head back to UConn.
“Next weekend, I’m getting the French toast that little boy is eating,” said Curran as she held the door on her way out.