LONDON , ONT. -- A maple syrup farmer is hoping to see his pancake restaurant open once more, after closing it down in March of 2020.
The McLachlan Family Maple Syrup and Pancake House, located in Komoka, Ont. has a rich heritage that spans seven generations.
“I’ve been making maple syrup my whole life,” said Ross McLachlan, the current owner, who inherited the farm from his father.
But when the pandemic first hit in 2020, McLachlan was forced to close down his pancake house, a restaurant responsible for driving up maple syrup sales.
“The pancake house is definitely a great drive to sell syrup…it’s seems too bad we had to shut it down.”
Syrup is processed at McLachlan Family Maple Syrup and Pancake House, located in Komoka, Ont. on March 3, 2021. (Jordyn Read/CTV London)
At the farm, maple syrup is still available for purchase in the main shop, but a lack of foot traffic caused those sales to drop by 50 per cent last year.
"It did hurt, but a lot of people have been hurt by this. We just have to keep going,” McLachlan says.
Along with the pancake house, that serves fresh flapjacks and syrup, the farm had many outdoor attractions bringing out seniors groups, families and the general public to enjoy.,
“We had horse drawn carriages, maple syrup sausages….we loved having people here.”
But a full-year later, the pancake house and the activities that surround it, remain closed.
Still, McLachlan hopes to change all that within a few weeks' time, “Hopefully 50 people maximum, we’ll play by the rules and everything will be alright.”
McLachlan Family Maple Syrup and Pancake House, located in Komoka, Ont. is seen on March 3, 2021. (Jordyn Read/CTV London)
McLachlan encourages folks to frequent his business’ social media platforms, to get the latest details surrounding opening day.
In the meantime, he wants to drive home the message, that shopping local is always a good choice.
“There's lots of local producers around the area, it would be great if everyone could support the local producer."
