Bad, Bad and Badder
This is a copy of the letter I plan to mail to the Husky head office.

I have been a customer at Husky House restaurants since 1989 when my husband introduced me to them. Lovely service, great food, portions that were usually nearly too generous and very fair prices. Couldn't ask for more than that. Until this evening. What in the blue hell happened?

Two friends and I went for dinner at the Headingly Husky--on Hwy. 1 a few kms west of Winnipeg. Maybe we should have realised that having only 3 trucks parked there, at a truck stop, at what is normally considered to be a high service time, might have been an omen of trouble. The service was very slow, and we were a bit annoyed at having to wait for 10 minutes before even the coffee order was taken. [..]

Now, the meal. It's difficult to know where to start: quantity or quality. All 3 of us had some form of chicken--2 Cajun and 1 BBQ and Cheddar. The 2 chicken pieces on each platter were no longer than 3 inches, and 1/3 of an inch thick. If they tried hard. Clearly these birds were not the Dolly Partons of the chicken world. (More like Kate Moss. On a strict diet. And on heroin.) They were dry and tough. (These birds didn't have ancestors from the Jurassic period, they were from the Jurassic period.) The vegetables -- carrots and green beans -- were done to the point of sogginess. Babies and denture wearers (without their plates inserted) would have loved them. My companions' mashed potatoes were fine. My baked potato was the size of a golf ball on steroids. All the garlic toast was burnt, and lukewarm, like the entire meal.

Why did we eat? Honestly, we were hungry and too stunned about all this at the time. For $37 and change, it was a horror story. In close to 4 decades of dining out, from pretty damned expensive to cheap like bad borscht, I have never had worse fare.

Why am I complaining? I've never, ever had a problem in the slightest with Husky, and I came to expect the same since '89. I'm old fashioned. Normally, if I were disappointed with something like this, I would have said nothing, paid the bill, told friends -- including some truckers who may have yet to encounter this place -- to avoid it like something Bubonic and never myself returned. I'm doing all of these things today plus a few extra. Husky has a fine reputation, and I hope this particular restaurant is just a rogue, cheapskate, shabbily run offender; I'd hate to think that the entire chain had gone so terribly to seed. But I do have to admit that I'm nervous about stopping at another Husky, after 15 years of faith. Based on a mere 1 lousy experience.

Thank you for your time in reading these comments. Good day and good luck.    [04 Aug 2004 22:20:00]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: nothing at this writing

     ­Lisa M., Winnipeg, MB   

Good Breakfast, Anytime
Breakfast at the Husky House is a pretty relaxed affair. There are plenty of items on the menu and food is well-presented for a truck stop!

The service is usually very good and your coffee gets refilled before you have to ask.

Generally speaking, breakfast dishes are big and very tasty. In Manitoba, potatoes come pan-fried so you have to ask for fries or hash browns if that's what you prefer. Choosing Winnipeg-style rye bread for your toast is worth a try too.

There is a smoking area and it does not interfere with non-smoker's enjoyment at all.    [16 Aug 2004 22:59:23]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Husky cheese omelette with fries and rye bread (yum)

     ­Pux