WOW Hospitality eatery recommended for Esplanade Riel space

A new restaurant could soon be opening on Winnipeg's Esplanade Riel: Mon Ami Louis, a seasonal eatery proposed by local company WOW Hospitality Concepts.

City of Winnipeg officials are recommending that council approve a five-year lease agreement with the company to operate a seasonal full-service restaurant and cafe inside the spaceship-looking structure on the pedestrian bridge, which connects the city's downtown with the St. Boniface neighbourhood.

"Mon Ami Louis would be open for brunch, lunch and dinner service during the summer months (May 1 to September 30). It would then operate as an event centre for the remainder of the year," the city stated in a news release Friday.

WOW Hospitality has a number of restaurants in Winnipeg, including 529 Wellington, 295 York, Peasant Cookery and Muddy Waters Smokehouse.

The city says the company's bid is considered "the most advantageous" among a total of eight proposals that were submitted.

If the plan is approved, WOW Hospitality would invest $100,000 in "tenant improvements" and aim to open the eatery in mid-July, according to the city.

Mon Ami Louis would become the third restaurant to operate in the Esplanade Riel's plaza space, after Salisbury House and Chez Sophie pulled out due to high operating costs.

Salisbury House ran a restaurant and lounge there for seven years until January 2013. Chez Sophie took over later that year but closed down in February.

A city report recommending WOW Hospitality's proposal will be reviewed by council's standing policy committee on downtown development, heritage and riverbank development on May 7. You can read the report below.