Wayside Inn Innkeeper Continues to Polish The 'Jewel' of America's Oldest Operating Inn

What’s new and exciting at the this year?

In no particular order, we now serve breakfast to the public. Forever, we were only serving a full country breakfast only to our overnight guests. So we had it staffed with cooks and servers and a hostess – it was a no-brainer for me to suggest that we open up to the public. It’s been very well received. We’re serving well over 120 to 140 on Saturdays, consistently 50 to 60 guests midweek and Sundays became so popular we had to stop breakfast because we were turning so may people away at the door so we opened up for a Sunday “brunch” which starts at 9 o’clock. So that brunch is brand new as of a couple of month ago. We are consistently serving 250 to 300 people for brunch on Sundays. We have very extensive buffet brunch with a carving station, an omelet station and a make your own Bloody Mary bar. So the breakfast is new, the brunch is new, our menus are new, and we now have a pretty extensive wine list.

I understand you now have outside patio dining for your guests?

We just completed the patio. They talked about it for years and I just did it. We’re very pleased with the way that it came out. We serve our full lunch menu on the patio and our full dinner menu on the patio. And in between, because we are typically closed from 3 o’clock to 5 o’clock, we’ve created a patio-only menu which is made up of items from our lunch and dinner menus, and it’s available to anyone who comes in during that 3 to 5 time period. Also, one can come in and order just drinks off the menu without ordering food. People have taken advantage of that.

What other events have you recently added?

We now have a Farmer’s Market seasonally on Saturdays in the South Field – that draws quite a few folks out. We have horse and surrey (buggy) rides around the property. We have concerts in the chapel and concerts under the “wedding” tent. We have taken advantage of the “wedding" tent and opened it up for some events midweek. We have a Rocktober Fest coming up at the end of September with a rock band and German food that should be a lot of fun. These are some of the new activities we have done in-house and on the grounds. We want people to come and enjoy the grounds, walk around and get to know us.

Two really significant things that have happened in the last year are the Antique Show – we put up a tent in the East Field — 20-something thousand square feet of our wedding tent and we bring 43 of the countries’ finest antique dealers and fine arts dealers in for a weekend. The monies raised from that event help benefit the Wayside Inn Historical site. We are a nonprofit 501C3 and our restaurant revenues and room revenues are not enough to sustain the whole complex, so we look for new ideas to raise money. The antique show is a significant fundraiser for us.

We just celebrated our one-year anniversary when we took over the old Clarion down the street — a hotel just east of us. I approached the new owners about the idea of us running it and managing it for a five-year period and then we would purchase it from them. It’s now called the Wayside Carriage House Inn. We’ve tried to brand it along with this property – the red horse and the Wayside name on it. It has 46 guest rooms, which are beautiful, and chock full of amenities. In the last couple of months, we’ve partnered with and we now offer small services in our hotel. We purchased a luxury van to bring guests from that property to this property for dining, so with all of that we’ve become a true destination.

Inside the Inn, I have renovated the ballroom – warmed that up a bit – with new carpet, window treatments, and art which takes us back in time, tells the story when Henry Ford used the ballroom for which was ballroom dancing, teaching young children ballroom dancing, the boardroom got a similar makeover, some of the common areas were refreshed with carpeting, and some of the guest rooms have had a bit of a face lift.

How long have you been here and what is your job description as innkeeper?

I’ve been here two and a half years. I’ve become only the eighth innkeeper in nearly 300 years of the inn’s history. The innkeeper was either the owner or the landlord. Since no one actually owns the Wayside Inn, I actually represent the property and its grounds. I’m responsible for its total operation, all of its employees and now with the new hotel we have just over 150 employees. I’m responsible for everything: grounds, maintenance, sales, accounting, food and beverage, rooms’ management. When I was hired we really didn’t have a conversation about what title I would hold but innkeeper just fits here, given the Inn’s history. Part of what we do here – not just preserving open space and maintaining the grounds and historical integrity - is to carry on the tradition of innkeeping started by the Howe family in the 1700s.

What do you like best about your job?    

I like the inn experiences. I find that really rewarding. It’s more than just managing a large business. It’s entertaining, and I enjoy doing that. It’s creating activities or events to entertain. I enjoy coming up with new ideas, implementing them, watching people come to enjoy them and then leave happy. That’s what I like most about the business.

What is the most memorable event that you’ve experienced since you’ve been here?

That’s a tough question but I think I would have to say that it’s the grand opening party for the new Wayside Carriage House Inn. That was a lot of work, not just negotiating (the purchase) but starting a brand new operation. Staff, training, systems, everything from finding the right logos for our amenities to working with interior designers — it was a lot of work getting to that day in mid-June last year and I did all of that because it made so much sense for the old inn — we needed additional guest rooms to attract more business that would help sustain us over time. So the fact that it did happen, happened timely, and the product is just so wonderful (and) compliments what we have going on here. I was happiest when it happened for the old inn and its future success.

Who is the most famous person you’ve met here?

I guess it would have to be Shaquille O’Neal. We were actually here one day having a meeting and received a phone call from Shaquille’s girlfriend, Nicki Alexander or “Hoopz” — she timed it right between lunch and dinner and asked if they could come over and receive a tour of the property. Of course we said yes, and I think they got here around 4:30. Guy LeBlanc, who is Director of Museum Services, took them on a tour and Shaquille’s daughter came as well. They wound up sitting in the old bar, we offered them something to drink, we sat with them talking, and about a hour and a half later, I asked them if they were hungry, they said yes, and we invited them to stay for dinner. We ushered them off to a quiet area, and they just loved it. They came back the following week to try our Sunday brunch. And Gov. Deval Patrick has been here, too. He and I spent a little time chatting – that was cool.

Of all the people you’ve met since you’ve been employed as the Innkeeper, who, to the best of your recollection, has come the farthest distance to visit The Wayside Inn?

We have many international travelers that visit the inn because they learn about our history and that this is America’s old operating inn. But I would have to say China. I’ve met several people from China and Japan that either came here on their own or were brought here by local companies – business men and women traveling – to Metrowest on business and they were brought here so that they could experience the history here. We have a big following in China — they’re actually teaching our history in the school systems and they are teaching poetry and there was a big piece on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow so our website receives thousands of hits from China.

How well-received has the outdoor patio dining, or “al fresco,” been received by guests?

Very well-received. It was something I wanted to do. I wanted to add another dimension to what we had to offer. Honestly, we are working hard to attract the younger demographic. People want to be out in the fresh air. It was an idea that management had many years ago but the more I thought about it, I realized people are really going to enjoy this, in this historical setting, with the Inn as a backdrop, watching the horse and surrey go by and just watching the world go by on old Boston Post Road. The patio overlooks the Longfellow Garden which is just gorgeous. People love this.

What’s your favorite menu item?

I’m a steak and potatoes kind of guy. But I also enjoy seafood, lobster in particular. My favorite, favorite dinner item is the Yankee Surf & Turf – it’s a filet mignon with a butter poached lobster tail.

How is the menu created? Do you have input as to what items go on the menu?

I’ve had a lot of fun with the menus. I’ve brought a lot of ideas from Nantucket where I worked previously and I get to see that reflected in our breakfast menu with Lobster Eggs Benedict, or our own Prime Rib Hash. We take our prime rib and actually grind it, with a little potato, seasoning and onion – that’s our hash. We have codfish cakes and eggs. Other additions I’ve made include an item called the Nantucket Lunch Box which is half a lobster roll and a cup of clam chowder.

Is there anything that you won’t eat?

No. I really enjoy everything.

Were you one of those kids that would try any kind of food?

I was and I still am. And I try to encourage my children to try anything once, but they are very particular. If I go out to dinner, I will always order whatever I see on the menu that’s different – something that I can’t get at home. I’m out – why shouldn’t I experience something different? My wife – every time we go out – just shakes her head because what I order tends to be the most expensive item on the menu. We only live once so why not try everything once.

Are you visible to everyone here at the Inn? Do you go around and introduce yourself and talk to people?

Yes. I enjoy that most of all. When I first started here at the Inn, another reporter asked me the very same question. I’m out and visible not only with our customers, but with the staff. In fact, I’m so visible and so all over the place that I go through a pair of loafers every six weeks. I don’t like to sit in an office.

When you go out and greet people – for instance in the dining area - what questions do people typically ask you?

They ask about my role here, where have I been before because they know I’m relatively new, they ask about my experience, where I live, what’s going on, what’s new at the inn.

Where did you work prior to coming to The Wayside Inn?

The last property I managed was on Nantucket – the Jared Coffin House – another historic site – not quite as old as this place, though. It was built by a whaling ship owner so it has a lot of history. The first place that offered me a job right out of high school was a hotel and I took the job because it offered housing. From that moment I started, I knew this is what I wanted to do.

Did you gravitate toward sites with historical backgrounds?

Yes. When I was finishing up my senior year at (Boston College) I was working for the Sheraton Boston Hotel & Towers and I was offered this opportunity in their management training program to learn how to become a general manager for other Sheratons or I could go back to Nantucket as a front office manager at the Jared Coffin House. I chose to go back to Nantucket and eventually became vice president and general manager there. I knew I didn’t want to work for a Sheraton. I call them "cookie cutter" – they all look the same, they all feel the same, they all run the same. I wanted to be in a place with character, and history. That was something important to the trustees when they hired me here that I had that kind of background. We’re not just running a restaurant or a hotel here – we have a real jewel to maintain. All the renovations we do here have to fit in with the surroundings – they have to compliment the period in time – we research everything so everything fits.

What do you do in the wintertime here at the Wayside Inn?

That’s a good time to get projects done. As you know, December is the busiest month of all here, but January and February tend to be very quiet, so that’s the time to make improvements, put a fresh coat of paint on things, and we get ready for our Bridal Fashion Show which is in very early spring. We’re busy year round.

To view the dates and times of upcoming events and general news at the Wayside Inn, go to www.wayside.org for more information.