Diner plans for pie-palooza and the Thanksgiving rush
With Thanksgiving two weeks away, some local pie bakers have already closed pre-orders. But don’t worry. Hyde’s Restaurant in Hamilton is continuing to accept orders and planning to make pies on a large scale.
Hyde’s is a family-owned diner located at 130 S. Erie Highway and the staff is counting down the days to its annual Thanksgiving pie-palooza on Wednesday, Nov. 22.
Amy Hyde-Klaiber, who owns the restaurant with her sister, Ashley Hyde-Tuley, said pie has always been part of the restaurant’s 77-year history. Their grandfather’s brother’s wife originally started baking pies and the recipe was passed down through the years.
“Prior to COVID we were really very much about fried chicken, beef and noodles, meatloaf and all those very home-cooked foods. Post- covid lots of people know about our pie,” Hyde-Klaiber said. “That’s our namesake.”
Hyde’s most popular pie is the Banana Cream fea- turing a banana base with vanilla filling topped with meringue, followed by their Pumpkin. During the holi- days, the restaurant also has a Pumpkin Crumble pie fea- turing oatmeal streusel topping with caramel.
The restaurant is expect- ing to sell between 600 and 800 pies during pie-palooza. Customers must pre-order pies online and pick a time for pickup. On the day before Thanksgiving, the restau- rant will offer a drive-thru pie service under a tent in the back of their parking lot. Employees work around the clock to meet the demand. Sometimes the pies are made within the hour of pickup, don’t have the staff to do it. Hyde-Klaiber said. Making pies is a form of art,
Hyde’s pre-order cutoff is Hyde-Klaiber said. She credtypically the Monday prior its her employees behind-theto Thanksgiving, but some- scenes who not only make times they have to cutoff the pies, but care about the sooner and put customers on flavor, how they look and a waitlist due to capacity. At the overall freshness. Some times the waitlist has been 10 employees know their pies pages long, but Hyde-Klaiber so well that all they have to said they “really take a lot do is take a look at the color of pride in getting through or consistency to know how that waiting list.” much longer it needs to bake.
“It’s our signature in a way When asked what helps of being apart of so many her going throughout their families,” Hyde-Klaiber said. busiest time of the year, she “When people tell me it’s said it’s the customers. not Thanksgiving unless we “There’s nothing better have our pie, I take that as than a warm pie out of the a really great compliment.” oven — the smell, the look,”
On a typical day, Hyde’s Hyde-Klaiber said. “It’s one sells around 20 to 25 pies. of my favorite parts of my job The restaurant also has a pie to deliver a pie because that trailer they bring to Oper- makes everybody happy.” ation Pumpkin each year.
In the future, they hope to bring the pie trailer to other events, but right now they