CBC Winnipeg
Last Updated February 17 2005 07:42 AM CST
WINNIPEG – The City of Winnipeg's executive policy committee has awarded the contract to open a restaurant on the Esplanade Riel to Salisbury House.
Cheese nips and other Sals' favourites could be available by the summer of 2005 on the pedestrian bridge, which crosses the Red River next to the Provencher Bridge, connecting downtown with the French quarter in St. Boniface.
A lounge that will host local musical acts and possibly video lottery terminals is included in the plans. The restaurant says it will have bilingual menus and try to hire as many bilingual staff as it can.
City officials would not discuss specifics when it comes to the financial details of the winning bid, other than to note the restaurant will pay rent and taxes.
Mayor Sam Katz says the proposal put forward by Salisbury House was best for city taxpayers.
"It will be a unique concept, not exactly the same as other Salisbury Houses," he says. "It'll be very family-oriented. It will also be conducive to the summer events. They also will have a lounge with musicians, so it will be a great, fun place.
"The wonderful thing is their plan is to open seven days a week, all year round, which we are obviously very ecstatic about."
Katz faced some questions about conflict of interest over the deal; some of his friends own Salisbury House. Katz says the recommendation to give the contract to the restaurant came from city administration, not from him. He also says he didn't actually vote on the deal – he says he didn't have to, because the motion passed easily.
Winnipeggers surprised at restaurant choice
The decision comes after a year of controversy over the bridge, cost overruns and a restaurant space that has sat empty for months.
Last summer, the one proponent for the restaurant, Storm Catering, had its bid rejected when questions were raised about who would pay to renovate the space. The city said it wanted more time to find a more suitable resident for the bridge space.
But Norman Gosseau, a director with the St. Boniface development agency Enterprises Riel, says Salisbury House isn't what his organization had in mind. Gousseau says the bridge is supposed to celebrate the meeting of French and English cultures. While he admits Salisbury house is a Manitoba success story, he says it's a far cry from the intimate bistro originally envisioned for the site.
"Salisbury House tells the story of a Manitoba-grown company, clearly that's a good thing," he says. "The people will decide if it's the right choice. The public will speak, and I wish them well."
Gousseau wasn't the only person expressing surprise at the city's decision. When told about the new plans, many people on the street wondered if they were the subject of a joke, saying they expected the restaurant on the bridge to be "more interesting," or at least more French.
For the restaurant's part, general manager Patrick Panchuk dismisses criticism that the restaurant chain isn't classy enough for the bridge.
"Salisbury House brings the little red roof, which has been part of the Winnipeg community since 1931, 74 years," he says. "We only operate in Manitoba and we're owned by Manitobans, so that's really important I think. To show that to tourists is a great thing."
Reg Callun was happy to hear his favourite burger would be available on the bridge: "That's great, as long as the nips have lots of onion and goodies on them the way they did years ago."
The Salisbury House chain has 20 other diners in the city.