Celebrating their tenth anniversary as owners of Heather Lodge resort, James and Maria Jennings received the perfect gift, with their restaurant recognized as one of the best rural eateries in the country by OpenTable.
An international online restaurant reservation service, OpenTable works with thousands of subscriber restaurants across Canada. The company released its Top 100 Restaurants of 2023 late last year, with Heather Lodge making the list. It was the only restaurant in Haliburton County recognized. The list featured 41 Ontario restaurants – with only 12 of those outside the GTA, 20 from British Columbia, 19 in Alberta, 16 from Quebec, three from Nova Scotia, and one from Newfoundland and Labrador.
“This is not something that was on our radar or that we were even pursuing. Our reviews are mostly positive, but to be recognized in this way, we’re kind of humbled,” Maria said. “We see this as a testament that we’re providing value and a good experience to our guests.”
Heather Lodge overlooks Twelve Mile Lake in Minden. The resort features 12 rooms and is adult-only. With the busy summer season now over, it has transitioned to a weekendonly operation. The restaurant is open for dinner Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with breakfast options available on Saturday and Sunday.
While hotel guests are given priority, the Jennings’ say their restaurant is also open to the public. The kitchen is operated by three chefs, who cook everything to order, James said.
“We strive to do as fresh and local as possible. It’s a different menu every night, and we do lots of seasonally themed foods,” he said. “It is fine dining – we do three and four course options, with five entrees daily. We do fresh soup, a choice of three salads, three appetizers, and some desserts. We have options for vegetarians and vegans and can accommodate a lot of dietary concerns.”
James noted the restaurant is Feast On certified, which recognizes businesses that source their menu options locally. Heather Lodge brings in produce from Abbey Gardens, meat from local farmers, and maple products from Wintergreen.
Maria said her team strives to provide an “exemplary culinary experience” to all guests.
This is a two-and-a-half-hour meal where people can sit and enjoy one another’s company. Nobody is being rushed out the door, nobody’s table is getting flipped for the next guest. Once you’re seated, that’s your table for the night,” Maria said.
The method is clearly working – of 235 reviews submitted through OpenTable, Heather Lodge has maintained a 4.9 out of five star rating.
“The lowest we’ve ever received is a three out of five. The main complaint we have is that it’s so hard to get in. In the summer, we make reservations about a month in advance, during the winter, it’s better, usually only a couple days,” Maria said.
She added, “we could squeeze more tables in, but we manage our business based on the quality of experience we want to provide. We know where our perfect window is. We take what we know we can handle and give everything to make sure they have the best experience.”
For more information, visit heatherlodge. com.
