DAN CEARNS The Standard
SCUGOG: The Piano Inn and Café has been a fixture of Port Perry’s downtown business district for many years. The Piano Café has been operating for 17 years, and the Inn side has been running for 11 years. Christy Stone-Curry opened the Piano Café in 2002, and is the third generation of her family to own the building at 217 Queen St. “The family property business started with my grandparents George and Ruth Stone, then my dad, Dan and now Rob and I. It works well,” Mrs. Stone-Curry said. “I’ve made good friends with a lot of the merchants, and we just live in a fantastic town.” Mrs. Stone-Curry explained it’s impressive how the business has survived and grown over the years, because the “number of people who start a restaurant and go out of business in the first year or so is 90 percent.” Over the years, her passion has not disappeared either. “17 years later, I still get excited about [things like] who wins the Grilled Cheese contest,” Mrs. Stone-Curry said. “I really like the creativity the restaurant allows me to have and I really like being on the door talking to people.” For the last six years, the Café has held a community grilled cheese contest. They also have a couple other things coming up, including an upcoming Christmas promotion. “This year The Piano is starting their own food line. We’re going to do soups and salad dressings and our sticky toffee pudding cake, and then we are introducing a pie line for 2020 of homemade pies. This Christmas we are offering a selection of our whole quiches to take home and serve. I have four different quiches you can order and pick up the week of Christmas. I’m excited about that,” Mrs. Stone-Curry explained. For more information on the quiche promotion, go online to pianocafe.ca. With the restaurant only open until 4 p.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m. on Saturdays, Mrs. Stone-Curry said the space is open most evenings if someone wants to rent it. For those interested in renting the space, call 905-982-0707. Mrs. Stone-Curry’s husband, Rob runs the Inn side of the business. “That’s Rob’s business, and he does a fantastic, very detailed job. We each have a separate business under the same umbrella.” According to a flyer, the Inn provides “private, upscale suites” which are “steps from boutique shopping, fabulous eateries and Lake Scugog.” People can make reservations online at pianoinn.ca.