A fire that destroyed part of northern Manitoba fishing lodge last year had owners scrambling to replace more than just a restaurant to draw in business.

A year ago, a fire burnt down the restaurant attached to the four-seasons fishing and guiding resort located on Highway 10 between Cranberry Portage and Flin Flon

A notice about the fire early last February, showed the restaurant enveloped in smoke after an early morning fire. No one was in the building at the time and there were no injuries.

Afterward, business at the popular resort dropped off dramatically.

That’s when lodge owners realized that customers wondered whether any of the resort was still operating. It was, but getting the word out was tough.

"We need people to realize that the lodge was NOT destroyed," said lodge marketing director Brett Baynton in an email Wednesday.

"We are still in business and now with our brand-new commercial kitchen we are able to service our guests the same as always," he wrote in an email Wednesday to the Free Press.

The lodge has opened a new commercial kitchen by enlarging another building at the resort. In addition to the new kitchen, the lodge also has a new laundry and washroom/shower facility, he said. The fishing lodge also operates several cabins.

Baynton said he’s proud the lodge persevered, attracting business even after the fire.

"Despite our loss in February we still hosted nine weddings at Bakers Narrows Lodge last summer!" he wrote.