Restaurant celebrating 30 years
ONE of Plymouth's most established restaurants is celebrating three decades of serving ship-shape meals.
Cynthia Prynn has been running the 34-cover Port O' Call, at West Hoe, with husband Bill after deciding life as a restaurateur was the one for her.
"I got drunk one day and told Bill I wanted to buy a restaurant," she said.
The couple took a lease on the building, changing the restaurant's name from Oasis, and bought the freehold five years later.
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For the first nine years Mrs Prynn ran it as a "restaurant with tablecloths and candles" only open at lunchtimes and evenings.
But when the recession hit in 1989, she implemented a staff suggestion to offer breakfasts – something the eaterie is famous for today.
"It's more a cafe-come-restaurant now," she said. "We don't have tablecloths now and we are open all day."
Mrs Prynn, aged 58, employs four staff including her daughter Marie Prynn, who controls the cooking.
Despite a working day that starts when the doors open at 7am and doesn't end until the business closes at 8.30pm, Mrs Prynn said: "I've enjoyed it. It's been great."
She's still involved in much of the cooking, priding the business on its "hand-made" dishes.
"My favourite is moussaka," she said. "A Greek chef came down years ago and taught me how to cook it. It's gorgeous."
She said the restaurant had "held its head above water" despite the recession "hitting us in the last couple of years".
"People don't come in so often," she said. "But everybody is struggling.
"We used to be quite busy in the evening, but it's steady now. We are holding our own."
She added: "I've kept it really for my grandchildren. I have five, aged from two to 18, and hope they will keep it on so they can have a job when they leave school."
Comments
by jonny
Friday, September 07 2012, 4:34PM
“The service is usually friendly from all staff bar 2. If you don't particularly like the way something is done they'll tell you to eat elsewhere which I find completely disrespectful.
Mrs Prynn has nothing to do with the kitchen and when she does she messes the homemade dishes up And you may even have extra hair or string in the meal too.
She claims she has 5 grandchildren yet has nothing to do with 3 of them.”
by soph15
Thursday, September 06 2012, 8:19PM
“This is a great place to eat with a very friendly homely feel.”