Aug 20 2008
The Rye Cafe, Midland Ontario Canada
The Happiest Place on Earth (or at least, in the afternoon in our little town) is the Rye Cafe. Located on King Street in Midland, Ontario, Canada. (sometimes referred to as “the main street”, because it’s the street our downtown core revolves around)
The only place I know of (other than my kitchen) that a body can get a REAL cappucino (or espresso or latte or iced chai tea…)
Iced Moccacino, my current fav
Formerly known (with great love and affection) as The Daily Perk, The Rye Cafe is still the coolest place to hang out, read, write, socialize in the middle of the day. (They open earlier for your morning java, but I personally never get there until at least 11! Ah, the artists life.) The atmosphere is comfy cozy with it’s terracotta floor tiles, the original antique copper tiled ceiling, and lighting that perfectly sets the mood. Every month a different local artist is featured on the walls of “The Rye”, and every Wednesday night is “open mic” night.(come around 7ish.) The location has always been a hub for artists of all sorts, interesting conversation, and a place to meet new people or socialize in comfort with old friends. I personally love to go there to write, and pay my rent in flavoured coffee, specialty coffee and food.
The coffee, as I’ve said, is the best around. If you want to bring it home, they sell coffee beans for your home brewers. If you are looking for food, their wraps are fantastic. Fresh ingredients and made with love. I can NEVER finish one, and almost always will take half home. They also have daily soups and specials. And for the attention to detail you receive, from the smile you get at the counter to the food on your plate, you’ll be impressed with the prices on the casual yet gourmet menu.
The Rye is one of those Little Town Wonders. You won’t want to miss it.
Lori Petroff
[...] Original post by Lori Petroff [...]
I just read the review of the Rye Cafe in Midland On. Did your reviewer even visit the spot? Last time I was there I was served by a surly tattooed moron who was genuinely pissed that I had the nerve to take her from examining her dirty nails long enough to pour a coffee. I was looking for an espresso but when I saw the cheap little home unit they were using (my home espresso maker is infinitely better – and I bought mine at Zellers!) I knew they couldn’t be serious. The coffee was so bad I didn’t even finish it. I guess I should have known better then to try it when I spotted the pile of empty Maxwell House cans sitting in the back.
What a shame – a lovely spot but bad coffee, bad equipment and bad attitude makes three strikes.
My experience is so different from the one your reviewer describes I must ask again – did she even visit the place?
Larry,
I am saddened to hear your experience at the Rye Cafe in Midland was not as Lori had experienced, but really appreciate the feedback. Perhaps its time we revisited the cafe and redid our review. Thanks taking the time to read and comment on our articles. Look forward to hearing more from you in the future.
JSweeney
Editor
Munchbrothers
Yes, I absolutely go there, nearly every day! I don’t think you’ve ever been there – all of their coffee is ground on site, and is all fair trade! The main barista is an older woman, who definately does not bear any tattoos – The new owners (they’ve been there for 2 years.) are a lovely young couple in their 30′s.
Also, their espresso machine is a great big, new, commerical espresso maker…
My experience is more along the lines of Lori’s. The employees are personable, friendly, and very much add to the ambience of the cafe. I haven’t had too much more than a coffee from them, but the coffee was decent. And as for a tattooed employee, the one I know from there smiles lots, initiates conversation, and is friendly!
On a side note, the Rye Cafe features new artists on their walls (My photography was up for the month of May, 2010). And also does live music on (I think) Wednesday nights. Both things that I think make a community feel more like a community, and help build the confidence (and reputation) of young artists.
I’ve heard rumour, from a reliable source, that they are going to be getting a new owner soon, so it will be interesting to see how things change….
Cole,
Thanks for the update and feedback looks like we need to keep an eye on the Rye Cafe and perhaps see how things change. Great to receive your feedback look forward to any more as you find articles or comments that you would like to add your own experience to.
Editor
Munchbrothers
We were in Midland for lunch this summer and chose the Rye Cafe. I ordered a grilled veggie wrap and salad, my husband ordered a turkey club, and I ordered a kids pizza for my daughter. We also ordered an Arizona Iced Tea to drink. It went downhill from here. They didn’t have turkey, so they suggested chicken. They didn’t have the sauce for the club, so they suggested cream cheese. They didn’t have the kids pizza, so they suggested grilled cheese. They didn’t have the Arizona iced tea, so they suggested nestle ice tea. We should have left at this point. When the food came out about thirty minutes later, the wraps were stale and not good. The grilled cheese was soggy at a cost of $4! They forgot my salad. They then told me that their cucumber had frozen in the fridge and had to go next door to get another one. It is very questionable when a restaurant has problems with their fridge temperatures! When the salad finally came, a fly came near my daughter who screamed twice. They server leaned into my daughter and said “you are going to need to stop yelling because there are other people in the restaurant”. My daughter is 2 years old! When I pointed this out, the server said “sometimes it helps if children here it from other people”. I was furious! If there weren’t flies buzzing around, she wouldn’t have screamed. If this is the position this restaurant takes with children at 1 in the afternoon, they should state it up front at the door with a sign that says “no children allowed”. I left this restaurant furious and feeling quite nauseous questioning their food standards. I will never go back to this restaurant.
Wow I am so surprised to hear this news, but that’s one of the key reasons why we publish review and it is really good that people such as yourself take the time to let everyone know when a restaurant has gone downhill. This goes to show that a new review may be needed, quite often there may be a major change such as new chef or owners which can cause this type of experience. I am really pleased that you have taken the time to add a comment especially when it can advise our readers of such a bad experience. I hope this doesn’t jade you and your family from trying other places.
All the best,
Editor
Munchbrothers.org
The Rye cafe has certainly undergone alot of changes in the last couple years. The owners have remained the same but their employees keep changing. The smiley and friendly young lady is now gone
and since then the atmosphere has really changed. It feels empty, almost eerie. Melissa, the owner, insists on serving cheap bread and has increased the price of coffee and tea without increasing quality of product or service. Since then I have stopped going to the cafe but I have coworkers that still go there for coffee. The coffee is still good, they use Hendley’s and it’s organic. They haven’t had an open mic there since last spring but there is still art on the walls. The wifi there never seems to be working, they open late, close early and quite often are out of stock. One time they were even out of large cups!
Everyone in town knows that this cafe, unfortunately, is dying. There were hopes of new ownership but it has yet to happen. Let’s hope that one day soon the people of Midland can once again enjoy music, friends and good drinks and food at what could be the best hang out place in town.
As it stands now I would not recommend this place to anyone. If you want good coffee then go down the street (towards the water) to the Elegant Gourmet. They also have the best truffles in town, reliable internet and a cozy atmosphere.
Jane,
This is an unfortunate update and since the GFC is a far too common occurrence, I hope too that there are changes at the Rye Cafe, but only time will tell. Thank you so much for taking the effort and time to update our readers your efforts are very much appreciated.
Regards
Editor
Munchbrothers
I actually know Jon and Melissa quite well…I am also quite familiar with some of the stories about their “ex-employees”. The last story sounds quite familiar and I am very disappointed that such a terrible thing would be written about good people and a good business. To anyone reading, please be assured that the Rye only serves fresh product, and in fact, I know that they recently (or a couple months ago?) had to let somebody go because the employee would close the kitchen during the summer without permission, and the employee insisted on changing food items, (such as bread!!), which compromised quality of product and in turn lead to customer complaints. With Jon and Melissa working as hard as they do, they simply couldn’t afford to keep anybody that was hurting their business rather than growing it. I actually know a few people who have worked for them, and who have now gone off to school, saying that they were wonderful people to work for. Some even came back during the holidays for available hours. It’s just a shame that our local businesses, especially the ones that offer such great products in our community, get such bad publicity, rather than an honest review, because people can’t find healthier ways to vent and release their frustrations. Especially if it is disgruntled employees (or friends of). A site like this is not built for that purpose. The purpose is to comment on a business, not put down owners and employees individually, using their name. Sounds like a vengeful act more than a helpful comment. I enjoy going to the Rye, as do many of my friends and family. The place always seems to be steady. They have a couple of girls working for them now who are absolutely wonderful…one of which has been a regular at the cafe since Jon and Melissa took over. I certainly would recommend Rye Cafe to anyone out there looking for a bite to eat or a freshly ground, locally roasted cup of coffee. They do sell the best!! Oh, and as for their prices…they hadn’t changed them in two years, since they took over. I couldn’t believe how cheap their drinks were compared to our franchise coffee shops. Their lunches are affordable too! I am happy to pay a few cents more especially since they’ve improved the coffee (locally roasted, fair trade) and are now using biodegradable cups. I’m sure it’s a higher cost for them, but they still make it affordable, and environmentally friendly for all their patrons. Every business, from cafes to restaurants to grocery stores, have price increases every once in a while. Why should our small businesses be any different? They still need to survive too!
CJ,
I appreciate this feedback, we can only go by the most up to date feedback received. To my knowledge there have not been any ex-staff commenting, but I agree with your point and if this is the case I am happy to support this. Additionally if Jon and Melissa wish to send me an email to chat about this I am more than happy to do so.
Again thanks for the comment it’s only this way we can ensure our accuracy.
Editor
Munchbrothers.org
I just noticed today that the Rye has is closed. I am so upset and dissapointed that the best little eatery in Midland is not open to me and all my friends and family. The staff and ambience there was compared to nothing around. I just loved it, and let me tell everyone the homemade soups and wraps were the most nutritional, tastiest of all the restaurants in the area.
The owners were always so obliging and eager to please. Their smiles and pleasant attitude to whoever entered their cafe was uplifting.
It has been rumored that a prominent business man in Midland is responsible for this closure! I hope not. Shame on him if this rumor is true. He is taking the heart out of our downtown.
Elizabeth,
Sorry to hear that they have closed but I do appreciate the update. We all will look forward to seeing where this will go.
Cheers,
Editor
Munchbrothers
There is not going to be another cafe like ‘the Rye’ If anyone finds a bowl of homeade soup that is comparable, let me know. What a loss to Midland!!! The cafe was literally HOME to some people, the coffee was THE BEST!!
Just a word of wisdom, “WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND”. The responsible beings that destroyed the cafe and the hearts of two great people, let them ponder on the moral issue of what they have done.
i do not know what to put for “website”, sorry, new on pc.
Anyway, I have not seen any info on the street number of the Rye Cafe, and my friend wanted to know where it is. All i could tell her was it’s on King st. which isn’t enough info as she doesn’t know the town like regulars do.
Please let me know the intersection and/or a landmark. Thanks.
We are interested in “open mic” night and hope it is still on every Wednesday.
Karie
Kari,
Thank you for taking the time to read our article, the Rye café is located at
292 King Street in Midland, Ontario, Canada. Hope this helps and I would be keen to hear how your visit went as we have not been back for some time?
Editor
Munchbrothers.org
The Rye Cafe is indeed closed, however, in the space is NOW “The Grounded Coffee Co.”
Scott and Nicole – the original owners of “The Daily Perk”, which started in this same location, are back! They are roasting their own coffee beans, serving organic and natural choices for drinks and treats!
They are on King Street in Midland, beside Gianettos and across from the Scotia Bank in the heart of downtown Midland Ontario.
- Lori Petroff