Basic strengthening exercises – Winnipeg free press

Just off Portage Avenue, a restaurant is rushing to open its patio ahead of the expected storms.

“We need a place when these excuses happen,” said Malai Pitz, a local catering manager.

A downtown restaurant is one of several waiting for the Winnipeg Jets playoff street parties to begin. The events draw thousands of walkers to the area — an economic boon after the COVID-19 pandemic drought.

During a Whiteout event, a local food court can see 400 customers. It should open its ground at the beginning of the season for an additional 70 seats.

During the pandemic, the company opened at 274 Harry Street. It's been an uphill battle, but the Local has relied on Jets games — “We have a strong core business of Jets fans,” Pitz said — and it's consistently busy on weekday nights when NHL hockey is in Winnipeg.

At the Canada Life Centre, staff organized promotions around home games: they entered customers into a raffle to cover the Local's bill before the puck was dropped; they hand out free beer to customers waiting for seats and food before the game.

Pitz believes the upcoming street parties, which begin in April when the NHL playoff schedule is set, will help boost the local nightlife business. After all, people need a place to drink after the games, he added.

Winnipeg's downtown business improvement area saw an additional 10,000 people in the downtown core during the Jets playoff run last year.

The Jets and True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd., which owns the arena. It said it would contribute $377 million to the province's GDP in the 2022-23 fiscal year. It doesn't track how much economic benefit street parties bring to nearby businesses.

Like the local, Merchant Kitchen plans to open its patio sooner rather than later. He orders about 25 percent more food than at regular season Jets games, said chef Jesse Friesen.

Friesen oversees the restaurant's dining room — across from Canada's Living Center — and five other dining rooms in True North Square. He is watching the Winnipeg Jets “very closely.”

“Most of our revenue and income comes from the arena,” Friesen said. “It's like our playoffs — it's our time to shine.”

The restaurant's parent company, Academy Hospitality, has asked about a dozen former employees to return to Merchant Kitchen, Yard Burger, Gusto North and its other downtown eateries during the NHL playoff season.

A regular season Jets game might draw 200 diners to the Trades Kitchen; The playoffs bring a lot, Friesen said.

The goal is to create a “fantastic experience” and attract repeat customers, Friesen said. He doesn't worry: On a night without events at the Canada Life Centre, the Trade Kitchen is busy.

This does not happen to everyone. Book Fair Winnipeg, a nearby Portage Avenue vendor, says traffic is still slower than in decades past.

Jets street parties don't often bring new customers to a comic book store. The book fair is the only retailer on the block, noted co-owner Judy Weselowski.

“We need more street-level retail to bring people down,” he said. “I … wish we had more people who wanted to come back.”

Downtown is on a strong recovery path; Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce president Lauren Remillard says it's about “more feet on the street.”

Whiteout parties should bring thousands of feet to downtown streets.

“It's the vibrancy every downtown needs,” Remillard said. “That's the vibrancy of a healthy downtown.”

More people means safer, added Downtown BIZ CEO Keith Fenske. The parties could help improve the perception of the region, he said.

Alt Hotel General Manager Dane Surtees is keeping his fingers crossed for a clash between the Jets and at least one Canadian NHL team. Fans of Canadian hockey teams book Winnipeg rooms during the playoffs, and the Alt Hotel is across the street from the arena.

Surtees is also ready for Winnipeg residents in the inner city. Downtown has seen a “huge improvement” in daily population, he said.

Each Whiteout event has a maximum of 5,000 tickets. Attendees can watch games on large television screens on Donald Street between Portage and Graham avenues and at the Metropolitan Entertainment Center, True North announced Wednesday.

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Gabriel Piche
Reporter

Gabby is a big fan of people, writing and reading. She graduated from Red River College's Creative Communications program in spring 2020.

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