Stella’s serves up second helping of Kevin’s

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This article was published 10/10/2025 (340 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Like macaroni is to cheese, Kevin’s is to Stella’s — at least, at a new restaurant on Corydon Avenue.

Construction has begun on the first joint eatery between the two popular Winnipeg brands. Leadership hopes to open Kevin’s Bistro/Stella’s Cafe by year end.

“We think it’s a win-win,” said Rob Del Grosso, vice-president of operations at Stella’s. “We just know that people are looking for (this).”

He joined Stella’s, a Winnipeg-born restaurant chain, in early 2019. At the time, Stella’s was starting to grow its new venture, Kevin’s Bistro.

Customers have since packed Kevin’s. The brand — which started with a slate of mac and cheese dishes in the Exchange District — is ready for a second location, Del Grosso relayed.

He sat in his Waverley Street office, a pile of floor plans on the desk in front of him.

“When you walk in the door, to the left will be the Stella’s Cafe,” he pointed. “And then to the right will be the Kevin’s Bistro.”

There’s no dividing wall.

Customers can come for coffee and Stella’s baked treats in the morning, using a quick-serve model where they seat themselves. It’s like a currently-open Stella’s Cafe at 1699 Corydon Ave. — roughly 2.4 kilometres away from the new restaurant, at 1100 Corydon Ave.

The established Corydon Stella’s will stay open, Del Grosso said, adding none of Stella’s other seven locations or the initial Kevin’s Bistro will close.

The second Kevin’s Bistro will tout the same menu and, like the first, will have servers on hand. It will likely accept customers from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. or midnight, Del Grosso said. He’s aiming for a 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. run time for the Stella’s side.

“It wouldn’t be possible to put a full Stella’s restaurant with a Kevin’s restaurant,” Del Grosso said. “Because it’s a smaller footprint for the café, it was able to blend in with the Kevin’s.”

“When you walk in the door, to the left will be the Stella’s Cafe. And then to the right will be the Kevin’s Bistro.”

The model allows for different traffic during the day, Del Grosso noted. Stella’s patrons might sit at a bar technically on the Kevin’s side; Kevin’s customers might grab a pastry to go.

Roughly 20 seats are allotted for Stella’s. Fifty seats are tabbed for Kevin’s, and an additional 50 are expected under a covered patio.

Another joint venture — a combined Applebee’s and International House of Pancakes (IHOP) — opened its first Canadian location in Winnipeg last month.

Bringing two dine-in brands under one roof will likely continue to grow in popularity, said Shaun Jeffrey, executive director of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

“It’s essentially free marketing for both concepts,” Jeffrey said. “A lot of people will find their new favourite restaurant by mistake.”

Offering two different brands catches people’s attention and cuts down on overhead costs, Jeffrey said. It’s ideal in a “highly competitive” hospitality industry where restaurant operating costs are rising.

Generally, Manitoba restaurants have logged a 2.7 per cent decrease in year-over-year revenue. Forty per cent of the industry isn’t making money, Jeffrey said.

Both Stella’s and Kevin’s have been busy, Del Grosso said: “Our business has been healthy, and our customers continue to come.”

“It’s essentially free marketing for both concepts. A lot of people will find their new favourite restaurant by mistake.”

Hence why the company is expanding, he said.

The plan is to staff roughly 20 to 30 people at the new hub. Job postings will appear online once construction is “well underway,” and some current employees will transfer locations, Del Grosso said.

Stella’s counts more than 400 employees overall.

Madi Westdal is not on the payroll — but she did grow her business by eating at Kevin’s. The social media content creator’s first big hit was a video of her mac-and-cheese and appetizer spread.

“It’s a fun place,” Westdal said. “It’s got something a little bit more unique than a lot of other places, and their mac and cheese really stands out.”

For her, the Canadiana — maple syrup, bacon and salt and vinegar chips in mac and cheese — is a go-to. She’s preparing to visit the new Corydon site once it opens.

“(It’s) the best of both worlds,” Westdal said, adding she’s also a Stella’s fan.

Deb Woloshyn is preparing for new faces in Beyond Flowers, a shop she operates across Corydon Avenue.

“We’re pretty happy about having more business on the corner here,” Woloshyn said. “I think there’ll be a good draw.”

Stella’s began in 1999 on Osborne Street. Its seven restaurants, not including the bakery, sell breakfast, lunch and dinner. It reopened in the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport last year following a COVID-19 pandemic-era closure.

Meanwhile, Kevin’s Bistro’s menu has largely expanded through its shareable platters. It could see new lunch options at the Corydon locale, Del Grosso said.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com