SMEs in a time of crisis: Meet Lil MacPherson from The Wooden Monkey Restaurant

Written by Divya Sharma

Sixteen years ago, it was a crisis that inspired Lil MacPherson to open The Wooden Monkey Restaurant. Hurricane Juan hit Nova Scotia in 2003 and put the entire province into a blackout for nine days.

“It changed my life,” Lil tells PIVOT.

Lil is co-owner and founder of The Wooden Monkey restaurants in Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Recognising that she would have to find a way to feed her children during a blackout, and that the entire province was in the same position, she started asking questions — to local government and farmers.

“The answers were quite disturbing and scary,” Lil recalls. “We have about two or three days of food left if we get cut off from the rest of the world.”

The response propelled Lil into action. She decided to start a restaurant to help revitalise the food system and achieve food security in Nova Scotia. The Wooden Monkey would use local farm food as much as possible. If items were not available locally, they would not be used.

“A restaurant with a conscience,” Lil calls it. “We’re not perfect, but we’re trying our best.”

At the time, people told her it was a cute idea, but it wouldn’t work.

“No banks were supporting us… They said there weren’t enough people [eating organic to] support the restaurant.”

Now, Wooden Monkey has 18 farms that they partner with and about 40 small suppliers. Stars such as the Rolling Stones, Jerry Seinfeld and Kathy Bates have eaten at the restaurant. They have created their own local economy.

Then, last month, another crisis hit.

“The impact of the pandemic has been really powerful for us,” Lil claims.

Lil and her partner, Christine Bower, have had to shut both locations of The Wooden Monkey and temporarily lay off their staff. They will reopen and rehire all their employees if they get the support and loans necessary. But there is also their network of local farmers to consider.

“We have a lot of people attached to this restaurant. We buy a lot of local food monthly — tens of thousands of dollars… I’m very concerned about the farmers. They’re going to be losing their wages and orders.”

It is scary, Lil admits, but the co-owners are going to have to handle it. If necessary, they will even open up somewhere else.

She does see some silver linings, however.

“This pandemic is going to change things for the better… I’m actually getting excited,” she tells us, adding, “I hope people don’t get sick… and that people can be safe through this. But we’re learning — you can’t even buy yeast in the stores [because] people are baking bread. They’re learning to cook!”

Lil tells us how, on her way to The Wooden Monkey for the interview, she bumped into one of her favourite farmers. He told her that the chicken and beef farm has tripled its sales as people have switched to online purchases.

“When everything deglobalises and we get a shock in our system, isn’t it great to have business at home?” Lil asks.

“Small and medium businesses play a massive role in our economy. We’re never talked about. We are the economy in Canada. We are the biggest employer of this country. I hope and think they’re realising now who we are and how strong we are and how many people we employ.”

“I think we’re going to play a large part in rebuilding this country.”