The Zesty Lemon’s Recipe For Success
The Zesty Lemon has followed its own recipe for success to survive and thrive in Saint John.
Co-Founder Lisa Hovey said that the recipe includes quality food and customer service that keeps legions of customers coming back.
What resonates with the public is the quality of the freshly-made food and The Zesty Lemon’s welcoming atmosphere, Hovey says, along with the cleanliness and attention to detail customers and clients know the bistro for.
The Zesty Lemon, which specializes in breakfast, lunch and catering, cooks its sources of protein – bacon, chicken, ham and roast beef – on site, every day.
“We are part of a great food scene in Saint John, and we’ve received great advice from other entrepreneurs in Saint John and Halifax,” Hovey says.
That great food is combined with a warm, welcoming environment awaiting anyone who walks through the doors.
Heather Morton Stephen and her family have been regular customers of The Zesty Lemon since it opened.
Stephen and her family have high praise for The Zesty Lemon’s pot pies. She says being able to choose hot or frozen options is convenient for eating out or at home.
“They use fresh, quality bread and ingredients in their sandwiches and their soups are second to none,” Morton says.
“The deli meats are delicious and a great option for sandwiches at home – the ham and roast beef are cooked on site and provide me with peace of mind knowing it isn’t processed. Always welcoming, their staff excel at providing a great customer service experience in a fast-paced environment.”
“Our priority is always customer service and providing good-quality food to our customers,” Hovey says.
“We have an amazing incredibly hard-working team.”
The Zesty Lemon has integrated itself into the Saint John community, also providing those services on an ongoing basis to clients that include the Saint John Regional Hospital and several other community organizations.
In the future, Hovey said they hope to offer a meal program along with its existing services.
Co-owner Bill Gray said he, Hovey and their fellow Co-Founder – his wife – Cindy Gray, are proud of their business.
“It’s not without a lot of hard work and good input from our staff that we got here,” he says.
“The response from customers has been fantastic and I think the product we put out is the key to all of that. It says something about the food we send to those people because they keep coming back.”
Since opening in 2018, Hovey said the overwhelming feeling she and her partners have toward the city and their legion of regular customers is gratitude.
“We feel we’re doing something right because we received so much support from the community. We are truly thankful,” she says.
“People are always saying to us, ‘You guys are so busy.’”
In addition to their regular customers, Hovey said that there have been seeing new faces in the bistro every day since the restrictions of the pandemic have eased and been lifted.
“The community has received us very well,” she says.
Hovey noted the bistro, located at 535 Somerset Street, has weathered the pandemic’s darkest days of lockdowns and closures.
“Dealing with Covid has been difficult, but we managed to do very well with our model,” Hovey says.
“It’s kind of surreal when you think about it. Food places barely survived to begin with – but thankfully, we are still here. We put a lot of effort into renovating the building and making it look as it does today. People say they love the branding and feel very welcomed.
“The business has a solid model and people seem to have embraced the ‘Zesty’.”
In a time when people are still feeling the effects of the pandemic’s economic downturns, and the consequent inflation, Hovey and the Grays appreciate every customer who walks in the door.
“It’s hard for people right now so we are so thankful people are still coming – we still have lineups out the doors and we are very grateful for that.”
Many, seeing its success, have been urging Hovey and the Grays to open other Zesty locations.
“I have a family member that lives in Toronto that always tells me she wished they had a Zesty there. Who knows what the future will hold? I believe we have created something special, a solid brand that could go in any city.”