A sign that downtown Prince George just might be turning the corner occurred Monday afternoon when the long-awaited reopening of The Keg restaurant was held with help from the Man In Motion.
Flanked by city council members, Rick Hanson cut the ribbon to open the steakhouse and bar nearly two years after it had closed for a prolonged $3.5-million renovation that delivers a cosey, intimate feel.
Wine displays, seven fireplaces, a waterfall feature and a fireplace on the patio were among the featured highlighted by franchise owner Kelly Nordin.
The work has delivered not only a new look but more seats. The capacity now stands at 450, up from about 300 when it closed at the end of June 2010.
Of that total, 190 seats are dedicated to a bar and the patio courtesy of a liquor primary licence for that section of the restaurant. There are also two private dining rooms and a meeting room with video conferencing technology.
In the two weeks leading up to the opening, 24 people were brought in to train the staff of about 150 and culminated with three weekend test-run events that raised $8,749 for the United Way.
"We ended up with an incredibly good staff," said Nordin.
Delays related to the sewer system, patio design, the sidewalk and parking along George Street and an exceptionally cold winter pushed the start of the work into spring 2011.
Tony Roma's next door remains closed and up for sale while an apparent expansion of Ric's Grill across the street remains on hold, but Nordin sees potential for the revival of a restaurant district downtown.
Word of how much The Keg has spent on the renovation has piqued interest from other chains.
"I've had people call me from Kamloops - an operation down there not competing with The Keg - saying that if you're going to do that, there must be something in this," Nordin said
The opening is a step in the right direction as far as Mayor Shari Green is concerned.
"Certainly downtown is a place that is improving and there are lots of great improvements and The Keg is a perfect example of a long established restaurant that's been successful, they've reinvested in their facility," Green said.
