'An institution:' Morrison’s Restaurant in Kingston. Ont. turns 100 years old
An iconic Kingston restaurant is hitting a big milestone, as Morrison’s restaurant turns 100 years old this year.
To anyone else in any other city, the diner at 318 King St. may look like any other.
But in Kingston, it’s something else.
“When I bought it they told me ‘You didn’t buy just a restaurant, you bought an institution,” says owner Michael Argiris.
Opened originally the Morrison family in 1921, Arigiris, 69, has owned the restaurant for 31 years.
“A guy from Scotland, he opened this up... I’m the third owner. The guys I bought it from sold it to me because they said I’m a hard worker,” he says.
“This place has got a lot of history. A cup of coffee in the ‘90s was 15 cents, and the breakfast? One egg was 50 cents, with toast.”
Known for its late-night breakfasts before the pandemic, it’s a draw for the university crowd and for shift workers.
Customers say it continues to be a special spot to then.
“It’s an attraction,” says longtime customer Tom Mentrak. “People will come here because they know the food is good.”
Howard Stone agrees.
“They’re very friendly people, the food is always well prepared.”
Morrison's Restaurant on King Street in Kingston turns 100 this year. (Kimberley Johnson/CTV News Ottawa)Argiris says it’s also been a magnet for local celebrities over the years.
“Movie stars - Dan Aykroyd was here,” he says. “The Tragically Hip boys were here in the 80’s and the 90’s just about every second day.”
Argiris’s son Chris Argiris, 41, has spent his life growing up here, and that meant watching his dad work hard.
“He came here when he was 18 years old and he had nothing. For him to do what he did and have what he has right now...the work ethic he promotes is very contagious.”
The family has kept the interior vintage feel intact, only renovating the restaurant once in the late 1990s.
The Morrison’s famous signage is the same one put up sometime in the 1960s, says Arigiris.
Keeping it the same over time is something Chris says was important to them.
“No computers, we do all the ordering, bills,” he said. “Just giving it that old school feel. That’s what makes the restaurant what it is.”
Michael Argiris says he plans to retire in the next few years, and will pass the restaurant onto his son one day.
But making it another hundred years? That’s a simple recipe to Michael.
“Lotta hard work.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.