Do you spend Saturday mornings craving Eggs Mornay or a pesto omelet? Maybe you have trouble getting through the weekend without homemade soda bread. Now, hungry students can head to WesWings weekend brunch and enjoy these and other delicious favorites prepared by Brian O’Rourke, owner of Middletown’s beloved O’Rourke’s Diner. And best of all, you can use dining points!
As soon as founder of WesWings Ed Thorndike ’89 heard about the tragic fire that destroyed the landmark diner, he decided to help O’Rourke in the best way he could: by hiring him. Only a few hours after Thorndike came up with this idea, his own head chef announced he was moving to New Jersey. The stars, it seems, were aligned.
“Once things settled down, [O’Rourke] made a decision to come,” Thorndike said. “He’s been working every day since last Wednesday.”
He highlighted the popularity of the newly reformatted Saturday brunches.
“Our weekend brunch was typically pretty busy before Brian,” Thorndike said. “We expect it’ll get considerably busier.”
In fact, Thorndike is considering opening WesWings earlier to expand the hours of the brunch if demand is high.
So far, the addition of O’Rourke to the staff has been great for all parties involved. Thorndike noted that the arrangement has been working out beautifully, while O’Rourke shared good-natured comments.
“I’m not working here, I’m playing,” O’Rourke said.
Red and Black Café, also owned by Thorndike, features O’Rourke’s cuisine, as well.
“We’re starting to send some soups and baked goods to Red and Black Café because of the sheer amount of food being produced,” Thorndike said.
In addition to brunch, O’Rourke covers additional WesWings meals during the week. Every Thursday night there will be a special “Brian O’Rourke Corn Beef Dinner.”
So far, however, many students have been pleasantly surprised to discover their favorite O’Rourke’s dishes at WesWings and Red and Black.
“Nobody knows; I didn’t know he was working here,” said Jade Scott ’09. “O’Rourke’s was the most amazing food. The lemon poppy seed bread is amazing.”
Thorndike says they are relying on word of mouth to spread the news.
“We haven’t really publicized it,” Thorndike conceded. “Community members are coming in because they know Brian. A lot of students who know Brian recognize him and are coming in more frequently.”
So far, the presence of O’Rourke has elicited excited responses from not only student patrons but also workers.
“I need to be here more often,” said Laura Schick ’08 when she learned O’Rourke was now working in the kitchen.
“Working here is the best job ever. He makes great corn beef and really good breakfast,” said Sharmeen Mazumder ’09.
With O’Rourke planning to rebuild the diner, he won’t be able to work at WesWings forever. But he does not plan on leaving anytime soon.
“I’m going to worry about today today and see how many people I can make smile today,” O’Rourke said. “When the time comes I will try to make the best decision for everyone.”
“We have made it very clear to him he is welcome as long as he wants to stay,” agreed Thorndike.
While working and being interviewed, O’Rourke turned out many plates of food and was eager to help all of the other staff members out or take extra tickets, never complaining he was too busy.
“Every day is a beautiful day and just a challenge,” O’Rourke said. “This is a great environment, a real positive energy.”
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