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Easton restaurant benefits from dash of ‘Chronicle’ coverage

August 9, 2017

Posted Apr 4, 2014 at 2:08 AM

Chandra Gouldrup, owner The Farmer’s Daughter on Main Street in Easton, says her restaurant has added 15 to 20 percent more business during breakfast since it was featured on the WCVB newsmagaine “Chronicle” in February.

EASTON – It was a brutally cold Wednesday in February, but that didn’t keep a handful of people from lining up outside of The Farmer’s Daughter Restaurant waiting for a table.

“The place was bursting at the seams that day,” said Chronicle Producer Maggie Harper. She picked Easton and The Farmer’s Daughter as part of the show’s “Mystery Towns” episode that aired Feb. 24

That exposure on the famed WCVB show has translated into more business for Chandra Gouldrup, the restaurant’s chef and owner.

“I was thrilled,” Gouldrup said. The restaurateur said the plug on Chronicle has added 15 to 20 percent more business during breakfast. She added that weekends have picked up as well. The Farmer’s Daughter opened last June.

“Our first weekend we saw record-breaking numbers. Since Chronicle we saw close to those same numbers again, we had 350 people that Saturday after it aired,” she said.

That uptick in business is no surprise to Chris Stirling, executive producer for Chronicle.

“We call it the Chronicle effect, when these businesses get a big boost and we’re glad because we support these small businesses,” he said.

The Chronicle crew stayed for breakfast and lunch, and Gouldrup said she prepared more than half the menu for them.

Some of her most popular menu items include the house-made veggie burger, the avo-egg which is a broiled avocado topped with a sunnyside egg, salsa verde sprinkled with ground ancho chile and a bit of cilantro and the brioche French toast.

Gouldrup is also working on the menu for the new restaurant next door at 114 Main St. that she and her business partner David Howe plan to launch. The new venture in the 6,092-square-foot space would feature dinner service and include a roof deck, outdoor dining and a private function room.

“It will open up more business,” she said. The menu will feature modern American cuisine. “We want it to be versatile, casual and upscale,” Gouldrup said.

The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to accept the proposal for the restaurant, but it still must go before the Planning and Zoning boards and the Historic Commission.

Having more businesses come into that stretch of Main Street is something Gouldrup would like to see more of. She added that it was nice to be featured on Chronicle. “It was great for us and also great that they were plugging Easton,” she said.

The episode was showcased as a “Mystery Main Streets” and also looked at the historic Ames family, Borderland State Park and Hilliard’s House of Candy.

Click here to watch the episode from Chronicle.

Jennifer Bray may be reached at jbray@enterprisenews.com or follow her on Twitter @JenniferB_ENT.