Bragg Creek’s restaurant scene is cooking with the addition of one new player and two restaurateurs who have added some new spice to existing establishments in the last two months.
A new restaurant is opening this week and two local staples have undergone major renovations to help rejuvenate Bragg Creek’s culinary menu.
On March 7, Chris Lee will open his new restaurant Snack Mania in the Bragg Creek Shopping Mall.
Lee used to work at the Bragg Creek Shopping Mall store Frontier Candy & Ice Cream, and when the owner told him it would be a good opportunity to open a dining establishment a few doors down, he decided to take to her advice.
“I am very excited to open a restaurant in Bragg Creek,” said Lee. “I love the area and the people.”
In February, Bragg Creek family restaurants Joey’s, and the new The Italian Farmhouse Ristorante & Bar, (formerly Madrina’s Ristorante) both underwent dramatic transformations.
Marina Cooke, owner of Joey’s and Loko’s Lounge, said she renovated and rebranded Joey’s to try to attract new customers to her restaurant.
“It was time to renovate, as my restaurant used to look like a McDonald’s play zone and that décor really limited my clientele,” she said.
Cooke’s grand re-opening was Feb. 15, and she has already seen an increase in business due to the change in ambiance and atmosphere.
“My customer base has increased as adults are now coming out on date nights,” she said. “Joey’s is still family-friendly and now appeals to both adults and children.”
Meanwhile, Josef Wiewer, owner of the renowned Bragg Creek restaurant The Bavarian Inn, and co-owner of the newly rebranded and renovated The Italian Farmhouse & Ristorante, is putting his stamp in the community as well.
Wiewer, who also owns Calgary restaurants Bonterra Trattoria and Loko Lou’s Bar & Grill, decided to purchase the two dining properties in Bragg Creek to get a break from the competitive restaurant scene in Calgary.
He said in Calgary food and wine pricing is on average 15 per cent higher than in Bragg Creek forcing him to charge higher prices in his city restaurants.
“The value you get on the plate here is better than in Calgary,” he said. “If I charged local customers what I do in Calgary I’d be branded too expensive.”
With one new restaurant opening, and the potential for more coming to Bragg Creek, Cooke said she is worried about the increased competition from other local restaurateurs.
“People only have x number of dollars to spend and the piece of the pie keeps getting smaller,” she said.
Though, she said if local restaurateurs work together to make Bragg Creek a dining destination, the increased competition may turn out to be good for her business in the long run.
“We should make coming to Bragg Creek a dining experience,” she said. “All the restaurants here are owner run and we have passion for our food and service.”
Pam Shewchuk, president of Bragg Creek and Area Chamber of Commerce, said restaurants are a huge part of Bragg Creek’s identity, and the hamlet has a vast selection of restaurants for its small population base.
“To have so many restaurants here for the size of our population is unique,” she said. “They help the local business community because they bring people out here.”
According to Rocky View County Economic Development Manager David Kalinchuk the greater Bragg Creek area has a population of 1,500 people and more than a dozen dining establishments.
Shewchuk and her husband Charlie Holschuh owned the Bavarian Inn until 2011, when they decided to take early retirement to pursue other interests.
Shewchuk said the last few years have been tough for some local businesses due to the economy, but she now sees recovery happening for the Bragg Creek restaurant scene.
She said restaurants are the first businesses to recover from a bad economy, but are also the first businesses to suffer, as people initially stop eating out during tough and uncertain financial times.
“Historically, when the economy is down people spend less on restaurants,” she said. “Then, when the economy improves, they start to financially support restaurants again as eating out is a treat.”
Bragg Creek is a tourist destination, much like Canmore or Banff, and the chamber’s marketing is focused on attracting tourists to the area.
Shewchuk said local businesses rely on the summer tourism season for their financial success.
“In the winter we advertise to the residents of Calgary and surrounding areas as Bragg Creek is seen as a day trip destination then,” she said. “Our businesses are busier during the summer tourist season.”
Shewchuk said things are looking positive for the upcoming tourist season.
“The biggest hurdle to businesses is that we are weather dependent just like any community who relies on tourism,” she said.
“We are looking forward to a busy summer.”
