The Forks turns over Pancake House

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This article was published 02/08/2024 (717 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Skateboards have replaced pancakes in a prominent corner of The Forks.

Last month, The Original Pancake House ended its 20-year stretch in the downtown market. Booths once filled with breakfast-lovers have vanished from the atrium where floor-to-roof windows look onto The Forks’ plaza.

The larger restaurant is behind boards, hidden and undergoing clean-up construction.

It’s unclear why the Pancake House left.

The lease ended, a spokesperson for The Forks noted. And The Original Pancake House is weeks away from opening a new location on Taylor Avenue.

Winnipeg general manager Terry Friesen said he had meetings regarding the new restaurant Thursday. He didn’t answer questions about The Forks location’s closure by print deadline.

“We enjoyed our time at the Forks Market and wish them all the best in the future,” Friesen wrote in a text.

All employees from The Forks will transfer to 1170 Taylor Ave., he added.

“They were exploring other options,” said Zachary Peters, communications manager for The Forks.

“We had a long and great relationship with them and it’s always sort of bittersweet and sad to see that turnover,” Peters continued. “But we also love continuing to be relevant, in terms of our tenancy and… different spaces.”

The Forks is considering various tenants for the former Pancake House space, which covers 2,922 sq. ft. in its entirety. The atrium makes up 885 sq. ft.

Kian Smeall stands in the atrium nearly daily — until Sept. 15, at least.

He’s selling Sk8 Skates’ clothing and decks. The 37-year-old skateboard shop temporarily moved to The Forks a couple weeks ago.

“It’s awesome,” Smeall said. “All windows, nothing covered up… it feels way better.”

Sk8 Skates closed its 564 Main St. location earlier this year. There, shutters often covered the windows.

Walk-by traffic has dramatically improved with the transition, as have sales, Smeall said. Another perk: it’s steps from The Forks’ skatepark, where Sk8 Skates holds free skateboard lessons Tuesdays through Saturdays.

The company held a marathon of deals last October, promoting discounts up to 70 per cent off. At the time, its owners said it was struggling, pointing to inflation and less consumer spending.

The Forks hosts Sk8 Skates’ second pop-up this year, following one in Osborne Village. Sk8 Skates might extend its time beyond Sept. 15 — it’s in talks with The Forks about possibly staying through the winter, Smeall said. Rent is expensive, he commented.

Lindsay Gillanders, a regular visitor at The Forks, called Pancake House’s exit “sad.”

“I think we just… took it for granted that it was there,” she said, adding she hopes a local business uses the area next.

Kate Winiarz ate at The Forks Thursday and said she believes the next occupant of the empty space should be family-friendly.

“There’s so many other choices,” noted her mother Pat Mockler, who looked around The Forks’ food court.

Both women were trying Basta, a Filipino eatery that opened last December.

“It’s kind of too bad,” Winiarz said of the Pancake House. “At the same time, The Forks has changed and evolved over time… (There’s) excitement for what comes next.”

The Original Pancake House continues operations at 2220 McGillivray Blvd. and in the former Clarion Hotel, now the Uquutaq Medical Boarding Home.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com