Lodge and Legend: Volume1 • Issue3

THE LEGEND OF THE LODGE
In our last installment, Edmund and Renee
had just discovered a new operating model:
A dinner-only restaurant featuring upscale
casual fare. As intrigued as the Woos were
by the concept, they knew they’d have to
create their own take and come up with an
extraordinary menu if they wanted to stand
out in Greenville. Their mutual travels led
them to the idea for Saskatoon Lodge—a
rustic, mountain lodge atmosphere with
unique, wild game offerings.
“Greenville had a lot of great restaurants, plenty of
alternatives,” said Edmund. “It didn’t need another place
to eat. So we had to bring something extra to the table.
We wanted Saskatoon to be a gathering place. Above all,
we wanted to better people’s lives, making them feel more
connected to each other and their community. That was
our mission and our vision for the Lodge.”.
The Long and Winding Road
Of course, having the vision and making it a reality are two
totally different things. Edmund and Renee could see the
mountain lodge of their dreams as clearly as if it already
existed, but it would take many years and a lot of hard
work before they would be able to open Saskatoon Lodge
as we know it today. However, they started building toward
their dream right away, opening Saskatoon Restaurant at
a small location on Haywood Road in 1995. They didn’t
realize it yet, but this location would be Saskatoon’s home
for nearly two decades.
The Haywood Road location did well right from the
beginning. Edmund and Renee wanted to make diners
feel like guests in their home rather than anonymous
customers, and Greenville residents responded to the
warm, intimate environment and a level of hospitality
and service that was far above the norm. Saskatoon often
won the coveted Best of the Upstate award and was a
popular spot for date nights, prom, family gatherings,
Sunday dinner, Christmas parties, company dinners, or any
special time when families and friends wanted to sit down
together and relax.
Even though Saskatoon Restaurant was doing well,
Edmund wasn’t able to focus all of his attention on it yet.
In fact, he was still working with his mom, who was 87
when the Woos opened Saskatoon, and he would continue
to work with the family restaurant until his mom passed
away at 97.
All in all, he was running four restaurants: Saskatoon,
Woo’s: A Hong Kong Café, the original New China, and
Kincaid’s Tavern. Edmund also kept busy with the Blue
Plate Society as well as restaurant seminars, workshops,
and conventions. He loved being a student of the
restaurant game and learning more not only about how
to run a restaurant by the numbers but also about how
to be a community leader who understands service and
hospitality on a deeper level.
In addition to working side-by-side in their restaurants,
Edmund and Renee were beginning their own family.
During this time, they welcomed two baby girls to the
Woo clan, Eryn and Ayden. Their two beautiful daughters
and their work in the family restaurants kept them busy
enough, but they still had the dream of turning Saskatoon
into more than a restaurant—transporting patrons to
another time and place as they dined.
5