Asteroid

What made you start your own company?

Well, I started Asteroid on 2009, but beforehand, I was always in the Food and Beverage Industry. I've been in the business for 45 years since I started working at 17 for a hotel, then went to university for business and marketing. 

I went from waiter to maître d'hôtel to food and beverage manager to an operator. Over the years, I moved up the chains, but I came to Drumheller and took a job at Co-op as a manager. From there, the golf course approached me and offered me a job, and, over time, I was able to run it as a business under a lease. While I was there,  I was helping Chrissie Hynde from the Pretenders' design her restaurant. I  figured after that, I wanted to work for myself and started to look for a place. I saw this property and decided to buy it. This location has been here since the '70s, and everybody knows it as the "Cool Castle." But I changed the name to suit more of a rocket theme.

At first, I started to do catering, but I got so busy I focused on doing ice cream and burgers instead. But I did a lot of catering around town, and people liked it. 

What is one thing people are surprised to learn about your business?

When people drive by, many customers do not expect us to be a good restaurant. But I've had many 5-star reviews recently saying "big portions and reasonable prices," which was really nice. They are surprised by what they're getting and the quality we offer. They get thrilled when we serve hand-cut fries and pay an affordable price.

I try to decrease costs by handmaking burgers, purchasing bags of potatoes from locals and paying attention to the seasonal fluctuation and inflation when buying ingredients. 

What has been the biggest challenge you've experienced as a business, and how did you overcome it?

In the beginning, people didn't know us, and it was slow, but they recognized we have good food and started building traction from there. But also, we had short staff, and it was hard to maintain fast customer service while making sure we served good quality of our food. By the size of our facility, our capacity is really limited. Sometimes the demand and volume for our products are so high that we can't catch up. Over time, however, we appreciate that locals and many tourists understand, especially during the busy season, that food might take a while. I think many now recognize that supporting a local business is also investing back in the community. So our repeat customers understand how difficult it can be with a high-prep kitchen, but we try our best to deliver our food fast and accurately. 

What are you looking forward to the most now the restrictions are more open?

Actually, COVID, in some ways, helped us. We had many phone-in orders, and even though we didn't have our tables out, people picked up their food and continued to support us. We followed the rules and protocols that were in place and managed throughout the pandemic.

What do you value the most about being a Chamber of Commerce member?

Unfortunately, I'm not quite involved with the activities and events that Chamber does. But we received a grant through them and Community Futures, which is a benefit I appreciate.

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