Washago is welcoming a new family to the cottage.
James and Michelle Cameron will take over as owners of the R Cottage restaurant on Dec. 1.
They were customers of, and then became friends with, owners Ian Thompson and Sarah Valiquette-Thompson, who have moved to Nova Scotia. When James Cameron approached Thompson about potentially buying the popular restaurant, Thompson told him, “If you’re going to keep it running, we’ll talk.”
That’s exactly what Cameron plans to do.
“Everybody loves it. People have become accustomed to the flavours and they want it to stay the same,” he said.
Cameron already runs a construction business. It’s been busy, but he has enough staff that he can dedicate time to owning a restaurant, too.
“I’m getting eager to take something else on,” he said.
The existing R Cottage staff will remain at the restaurant, and a second chef will be brought in.
“We’ve got two of the best trained chefs that apprenticed under Ian,” Cameron said.
He isn’t concerned about taking ownership of a restaurant during a pandemic because “it’s still doing very well.”
“If these things don’t stay running, they’re probably not going to come back when this is all over,” he said.
While the menu will be familiar to customers, Cameron wants to enhance the business. He also plans to keep it open year round. R Cottage typically shuts down during part of the winter. It will likely be closed for most of January so Cameron can do some renovations. He also plans to make the building wheelchair accessible.
He acknowledged he has “big shoes to fill” after Thompson and Valiquette-Thompson ran the business successfully for six years.
“They’re great people and they are well respected in the community,” he said.
Thompson is confident R Cottage will continue to thrive under the new owners.
“We couldn’t think of anybody better deserving of carrying on this legacy,” he said. “He’s a great family man, and that’s huge for us. He has the energy, grit and enthusiasm.”
A few people had reached out to Thompson to inquire about purchasing the restaurant. One wanted to turn it into a pizzeria. Another wanted to set up a commercial operation, but not a restaurant.
When Cameron expressed interest in buying R Cottage, Thompson had a couple of stipulations.
“Our two things were to ensure our staff remains employed and taken care of and to keep Feed a Friend/Feed a Family going,” Thompson said of the initiative that sees people sponsor meals for those in need.
That was an easy sell for Cameron, who helped out with that program.
Thompson had considered running R Cottage remotely from Nova Scotia but ultimately decided against that.
Selling was not an easy decision, especially given the support the business has received from the community.
“So many people embraced us beyond just being customers, but by becoming friends. I don’t think I could say enough thank-yous,” he said. “Everybody who came through the doors helped me support not only my passion, but also my family, and for that I’ll be forever grateful. I hope people continue to support (Cameron’s) amazing family.”
