A handful of businesses are ramping up for grand openings at Centrepoint on Portage Avenue, but a late withdrawal by a national chain has left a 9,000 square foot restaurant space vacant.
The 160-room Alt Hotel will span 20 stories and anchor the development, which becomes the newest addition to Winnipeg’s Sports, Hospitality and Entertainment District.
"We fit right in in the SHED district because we're progressive. We've got a wonderful modern style,” said Liane Reeves, the hotel’s general manager.
The Market Kitchen will open alongside the hotel in early April and owner Bobby Mottola says the restaurant will employ about 80 people.
"We're doing something really unique,” said Matolla. “We're doing sort of an Asian/Latin street food kind of an idea. We're going to elevate it. We're going to put it in a really, really pretty room."
But Centrepoint’s developers say Milestones, a national restaurant chain, no longer plans to open a location in the building.
Scott Stephanson, president of Longboat Development Corporation, says the restaurant chain is not honouring the agreement because it has had a change of heart about downtown Winnipeg.
Stephanson says Centrepoint is working on a contingency plan and has already been in touch with other national restaurants that have expressed interest in the space.
University of Winnipeg Urban Studies professor Jino Distasio doesn’t believe Milestones’ decision to pull out will scare off other would be businesses.
"Downtown is still a little bit fragile. Businesses are still a little bit uncertain about coming downtown but I think at the end of the day we're still seeing a lot more activity than not so one chain changing their minds at the last point in time isn't really a big deal,” said Distasio.
Both the Alt Hotel and The Market Kitchen plan to open in early April.
