Lori Grundy was a food franchise manager for years, but her goal was always to open her own coffee shop. When the Jitterbug Café — already well established in the Waterdown community — came up for sale in August, 2019, she took the leap.
“The Jitterbug’s perfect. I’m so happy I bought it," Grundy told FlamboroughToday. I’ve met so many amazing people. My customers — a lot of them are almost like family now. They know parts of my life; I know parts of theirs. I love the environment. There’s a big difference working for yourself and working for a franchise. It took a long time for me to remember, 'Wait a minute, I don’t have to answer to anybody.'”
Although she didn’t make many changes to the comfort food menu, she did add ice cream to help bring in more foot traffic during COVID. “A lot of the customers have been coming for years, and they all have their favourites, so I didn’t want to mess with that,” she said.
The restaurant serves breakfast and lunch, along with an assortment of homemade baked goods like brownies, tarts, cookies and muffins. Breakfast is available all day, and Grundy says the breakfast bagel is probably their biggest seller. Other popular fare includes the Jitterbug grilled cheese with bacon, the tuna melt, and the chicken summer salad featuring spring mixed greens, grilled chicken breast, strawberries, walnuts and feta cheese, with house-made honey balsamic dressing.
Daily features include a soup, omelette and panini of the day. “Our turkey apple brie panini, a lot of customers love, and if we have the ingredients, we’ll make it for them. We’re very accommodating for our customers,” says Grundy. A Hawaiian panini with ham, cheddar, and mozzarella with a sweet chili mayo is the latest addition to the menu.
The Jitterbug also caters parties and other functions, offering things like sandwich platters, wraps, large salads, veggie trays, charcuterie boards, cookies, squares, and fruit trays. Grundy says she tries to be very flexible and likes to sit down with whoever is ordering and find out what they’re looking for.
In the summer months, diners can enjoy a homemade berry lemon iced tea or a rotation of different fruit- flavoured lemonades like kiwi, pe
ach, raspberry or watermelon on the patio. As the weather cools off, featured drinks include pumpkin pie, peppermint mocha, and candy cane lattes.
Grundy says her customers tend to gravitate towards a dark roast coffee, but she’ll put on a medium or light roast if it’s requested, and there’s always a decaf option. For those who prefer tea, she features a selection of 20 to 25 different varieties supplied by her next-door neighbour, Andrew from Tea at the White House. Hot chocolate is also available, with a shot of Baileys or Kahlua to take the chill off.
Since the year Grundy bought the cafe, the Jitterbug has been sponsoring a Giving Tree at Christmas for the residents of Alexander Place. “It’s one of my charities that I really believe in,” says Grundy. The local long-term care home provides her with wish lists from their residents; she adds a tag to the tree in the shop for each, with their initials and the items they're looking for.
“People come in, take the tag, and purchase a gift. We look after wrapping and delivering it," explained Grundy. Additional tags for generic or personal care items are also added to the tree. "It’s for things that people can use throughout the year, like toothpaste, toothbrushes, denture cleaner, and just everyday stuff that sometimes when you’re living in a nursing home you don’t have that extra money to pay for.
Now in its sixth year, the Christmas gift drive typically provides 130 gifts for Alexander Place, says Grundy. "It’s amazing how generous the community is.”
