A clear and simple mission

Good food and good service add up to satisfied customers

Robert Mason stands on the back patio at Huckleberry's Family Restaurant in Invermere, B.C. — Photo courtesy Robert Mason

After 21 years of owning Huckleberry’s Family Restaurant in Invermere, B.C., Robert Mason has a simple, pared-down mission: To source great ingredients and provide people with great meals and great service. 

The restaurant was a winner in Kootenay Business's 2014 Best Places to Eat & Drink Awards, so we decided to give Mason a call to ask him about his successful restaurant.

How many staff you have at Huckleberry’s?

Our staff numbers 24 to 40, depending on the season; we employ more in the summer than in winter.

What’s your day-to-day role at the restaurant?

I act as general manager.

Who’s the creative mind behind the food?

It comes from years of experience and the cooks who have been here through the years. A few of our kitchen staff have been here quite a long time. Lorne Shovar is our chef. He has been with me for eight years and is in charge of the cooking side of things.

What do you think is the main component of good customer service?

Listen to your customers—they will tell you what they like and don’t like. If we change suppliers, for instance, the customers will tell us if the new product is better or worse.

Are you able to follow the trend to use locally sourced ingredients?

We certainly support that movement, and we use a lot of Kootenay-grown huckleberries—they’re our signature ingredient. We use them in our pancakes, milkshakes, pies, sauce for waffles—wherever we can.

Where do you like to go when you go out for dinner?

My favourite local restaurant is the Black Forest Restaurant here in Invermere—I like anything schnitzel.