People packed into Stacked with every seat filled and a group of customers eagerly waiting in the foyer for fresh breakfast Wednesday morning.
Representatives of council and the Bradford Board of Trade added to the crowd who joined the Hashmi family for the grand opening of Stacked Pancake and Breakfast House in Unit 5 at 494 Holland St. W. in Bradford on Dec. 4.
The diner specializes in breakfast foods such as eggs, bacon, sausages, home fries, pancakes, waffles, crepes, French toast, fruit, omelettes, and smoothies, plus lunch options including burgers, sandwiches and wraps.
Mayor James Leduc said he was proud and excited to see the franchise come to town.
“We know this is going to be a successful restaurant because you can’t get through the door already,” he said.
Diner manager Melissa Harrod explained weekends are always bustling at Stacked, but the weekdays are starting to become busier too as more people find out about the new location.
“This is a great turnout for a grand opening, especially for a Wednesday,” she said.
Shahid Hashmi spoke on behalf of his wife and diner owner Seema Hashmi and explained that while the family has some experience with the diner business, this is their first time working with the Stacked franchise, which he called an “excellent experience.”
Since first opening the new location in early October, he said they’ve been busy almost all the time and it’s not uncommon to see people waiting for a table.
As a result he’s always on the lookout for talented staff.
“It’s outrageous,” he said. “Stacked’s beauty is the fresh food, reasonable price and good locations.”
In the current economic climate, Shahid emphasized the importance of having everything homemade, even the jam, at a price people can afford.
His son Shakaib Hashmi oversees the day-to-day operations and echoed that sentiment, but also attributes the franchise’s popularity to the comfortable family-friendly atmosphere.
“When you come in, it should feel like you’re coming to see family,” he said.
While the Hashmis considered several different locations in which to open, Shahid explained Bradford stood out to them as a the best option, not only because it’s a “beautiful” town, but also because it’s between other Stacked locations in Innisfil and Newmarket.
While they’re united in their commitment to the business, the Hashmis each have their own favourite items off the menu with Shahid preferring the Stacked egg breakfast, Seema enjoying the crepes and waffles, and Shakaib indulging the cinnabun cakes.
The grand opening also featured a raffle for prizes including gift certificates, an air fryer, Toronto Maple Leafs tickets, signed Leafs photos and memorabilia, plus a signed Doug Gilmour jersey.
The diner is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, and in addition to dine-in options also offers take out and delivery, available through their website or SkipTheDishes, DoorDash and Uber Eats — the latter featuring a limited time buy-one-get-one-free deal.
For more information, call 905-778-8282 or visit stackedpancakedhouse.ca.
