Every day, 83-year-old George Roumanes takes the five-minute car ride from his home to open the old wooden door at Mr. Prime Rib.
His son, Sam, is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the New Sudbury beefhouse, but he says the daily opening ritual is what gives his father joy and purpose in life.
His parents are hardworking immigrants that came to Canada from Greece in the 1950s to work at Uncle Gus’s Restaurant before opening U&I on Barrydowne Road in partnership with extended family.
When they went solo, the name changed to Mr. Prime Rib. That’s when Sam came on board after finishing university in 1988.
“I guess you could not change my DNA seeing as I started working at the restaurant at age nine,” Sam joked.
Mr. Prime Rib is known as Northern Ontario’s Premier Beef House, with its top-quality Black Angus certified beef. But it doesn’t stop there. They do Greek cuisine, chicken parmesan and lots of seafood. Sam said customers love the lemon herb and dill butter salmon. They also veer to the grilled calamari and octopus on the menu.
“Bar none, we have the best prime rib in the North,” he said.
Sam chooses his prime rib medium rare without sauces. He feels if meat is cooked and seasoned correctly, it does not require additives. Sometimes he adds a splash of horseradish for zing. And as for sides, he prefers steamed vegetables and a baked potato.
Sam said besides the food, passion is what Mr. Prime Rib does best. Some of his kitchen staff has been constant for 20-35 years. He believes people stick around when treated well. And that goes for the customers, too.
“It’s not modern inside, but we care and we are here everyday. We don’t lead by arm’s length. Some would say our interior is outdated, but we feel it is a classic beef house experience. And our customers have been the air beneath our feet,” he said.
And the business post-COVID-19 has been great. Though 10 years behind the Toronto scene, customers are reverting back to the mom and pop shops.
“We are starting to reconfigure the thought process. Moving to independents so they can flourish and keep money local. They are so happy to be back inside for sustenance and normally, and we are thrilled to be pampering them,” he says.
In his spare time, he networks with SHARE (Sudbury Hospitality Association of Restaurant Entrepeneurs), a partnership between local restaurateurs to support each other and raise money for community causes.
He said the concept of “Localicious” will return after the pandemic to feed the masses and raise money for local charity.
Almost $100,000 has been donated to organizations like NEO Kids, NOFCC (Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer) and the Ronald McDonald House at Health Sciences North through SHARE’s Localicious program.
Sam said his three children don’t have any interest in the restaurant succession plan. They have taken on different career paths that allow for a more balanced lifestyle.
He said he won’t hang up his keys for a while. He’s still enjoying his run with Sudbury’s oldest original ownership restaurant in the city after 54 years.
Plus his father is still coming in to do the books, fulfil sales and invoice orders. And provide sage advice and guidance along the way.
Mr. Prime Rib
777 Barrydowne Rd.
705-566-5353
For reservations and menu, visit MrPrimeRib.ca
Hours of operation
Monday-Friday: 11:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.
Saturday: 4–9p.m.
Sunday: Closed
Anastasia Rioux is a freelance writer and good food lover in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
