A French restaurant from St. Boniface will soon serve customers high above the Red River.
The city has chosen Chez Sophie Bistro to take over the space on the Esplanade Riel as of April 1.
The site was vacated when the city's lease with Salisbury House lapsed.
The new deal is a five-year lease that will see Chez Sophie spend up to $200,000 to renovate the space.
It could include a 44-seat outdoor cafe and it will also house a boutique and souvenir shop.
Armande Dube is a Chez Sophie restaurant regular.
“It’s a good place. The service is great. The food is great. It’s a winner,” said Dube.
She said she’s pleased Chez Sophie had the successful bid for the bridge.
“I think it’s just great. I think with a little publicity I think people will go,” said Dube.
People in St. Boniface who spoke with CTV News on Thursday said Chez Sophie is a better fit for a restaurant on the bridge.
The new tenant will pay for all utilities, as well as $2,000 a month in rent, but rent will be waived for the first year.
"If you're going to spend $200,000 to fix up an asset that doesn't belong to you, it belongs to the city, I think it's fair we give them a year free rent," said Coun. Dan Vandal (St. Boniface).
The restaurant would be open year round, but would still face the same problem Sals had to deal with in the winter, the lack of nearby parking. Only two other restaurants submitted bids to try and win the space.
Vandal said he's confident the community will rally behind Chez Sophie.
"I think a partnership with the Festival du Voyageur is a natural (fit)," said Vandal. "There is a lot of good will there to help them because they're a local success story."
The plan to offer the bridge space to Chez Sophie still needs to be approved by full city council, but several councillors who spoke to CTV News on Thursday said they're excited about the plan.
Owners of Chez Sophie said nothing has been decided yet on whether their current location will close or remain open.
