Karen Hubrich first brought her British heritage and cooking skills to Fairfield when she was 16 years old.

She was a single mom of two boys at the time and always had to have a job with benefits in order to support her children.

However, she always had a dream of owning her own restaurant.

Once her kids were all grown up, Hubrich opened her own business at the age of 62.

With a mix of English traditions and years of experience in the kitchen as a chef of 42-years, Gruel Britannia on Post Road has become a popular eatery with their signature English Breakfast and European-style cuisine. 

Despite suffering setbacks through the pandemic, staffing issues, two knee replacements, and a hip replacement, Hubrich says she's managed to stay afloat and see success in business.

She was recently able to expand her hours and stay open longer on Mondays.

Caleb Silver with Investopedia says it's no surprise that Hubrich is seeing success like many other restaurants across Connecticut.

"The last two months have brought a very strong trend in restaurant reservations through the state of Connecticut according to Open Table. Reservations are up 24% compared to pre-pandemic level so that is a lot more people making reservations to eat out and Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day a lot of the holidays throughout February were big drivers in this."

In a month, Hubrich says she plans to expand hours even more.