DRYDEN – The story of Just G’s Chip Stand begins with a change in direction.
After spending the last 30 years working in the kitchen at the Patricia Inn, Dryden’s Garry Morand decided to venture out on a different path.
Granted, it took a little bit of prodding for his next step to be cooking out of a food truck.
“I didn’t even want to buy it,” Morand said. “My girlfriend ended up buying it from a guy in town here who had it in his backyard and just wasn’t using it.
“When I came home, it was in my driveway and I said, ‘Well, I guess we got no choice now.’”
When it came time to pick out a name for his new venture, that decision came rather quickly.
“Everybody called me ‘G’, so when they asked me what I was going to call the place I said, ‘Well, Just G’s,’” Morand said.
After setting up shop on an empty lot near Dingwall Ford nine years ago, Morand was busy with customers coming to check the place out.
The following summer, Morand bought a new location at the corner of Second Street and Highway 17, where Just G’s has been located ever since.
“I drove by the spot, offered the lady that owned it a price and we set things up to open there a couple of weeks later,” Morand said.
“It was a big hit right away, which was a pleasant surprise, and it’s been busy ever since.”
Morand believes that the steady stream of customers comes from a combination of people knowing his background and that they have no frozen food on the menu.
“We make homemade burgers and fries every day,” Morand said.
“If you look at some of the items on our menu like our pulled pork supreme sandwich or our chicken club sandwich, those were specials we had at one time at the Patricia Inn. We brought those here when we started.”
Morand said that Just G’s top sellers are their six types of poutines – which range from traditional to Mexican – and their daily burger special.
“Every day is different,” Morand said. “One day it’s our buffalo chicken burger and then it could be our Mozza burger.
“We try to keep the prices as low as we can so that people can keep coming back.”
Just G’s opens up for the season in late April or early May, though that often depends on what Mother Nature has to say.
“Once we start up for the year, we are operating seven days a week until October,” Morand said.
“The only days that we aren’t operating is if it’s really coming down with rain, though we will sometimes remain open until 2 p.m. as we have a pretty solid lunch crowd.”
The majority of Just G’s clientele comes from Dryden, but Morand said that they also see a lot of tourists come through thanks to their location on the Trans-Canada Highway.
“On the day that we opened this year, we had six people that came all the way up from Fort Frances just to see us,” Morand said.
“We got unique food here and it’s a unique experience.”
When asked what the future holds for Just G’s Chip Stand, Morand said the goal is to stay true to what’s made them successful for nearly a decade.
“We want to be here for the next 40 years,” Morand said. “It’s never leaving.
“I have my adopted son Jason working with me as the other cook, and I hate to say it, but he’s pretty good too.”
For more information on Just G’s Chip Stand, visit their Facebook page.
