Pony Corral closes Grant Park gates Local restaurant chain to end lease on Wilton Street location Jan. 26, move popular car show events to Nairn Avenue site By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 6:14 PM CST Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 Last Modified: 2:07 PM CST Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 Updates

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After 28 years, Pony Corral is trotting out of Grant Park.

It’s taking its live music and car shows with it, to its Pembina Highway and Nairn Avenue locations.

“I really didn’t want to leave, but I had no choice,” said Peter Ginakes, owner of the Pony Corral Restaurant & Bar chain.

He’d been renting the 350-seat site at 400 Wilton St., a short walk from Grant Park Shopping Centre. The site boomed with Manitobans grabbing meals and listening to local bands.

Hundreds of cars — Cadillacs, Porsches, Corvettes — would dot the parking lot on summertime Sundays. Weekly Sunday cruise nights could draw 1,000 people.

The Winnipeg car shows will resume in May at Pony Corral’s 1050 Nairn Ave. locale. Ginakes will close his Grant Park site Jan. 26.

The building was on “life support,” Ginakes alleged. He was hoping for upgrades to the roof and sewer infrastructure, among other things. However, he received no firm commitments upon his lease renewal date, Ginakes said.

“I’m going to stay focused on the properties that I own, make them bigger and better,” Ginakes said. “I have an obligation to car guys, to my staff.”

Ginakes owns both his Nairn Avenue site and 1700 Pembina Hwy. The roughly 40 staff employed at Grant Park can reapply for positions at the remaining two Pony Corrals; leadership will try to redistribute the applicants, Ginakes said.

Another redistribution: the flashy cars peppering Pony Corral’s parking lot. Beginning May 18, they’ll park across four acres by Nairn Avenue for cruise nights.

“I’m going to stay focused on the properties that I own, make them bigger and better … I have an obligation to car guys, to my staff.”–Peter Ginakes, owner of the Pony Corral Restaurant & Bar chain

Ginakes’s property spans two acres. He’s partnered with Fat Guys Auto Parts, a neighbouring business with another two acres to lend for the events.

“I think it’s gonna be OK, I think it’s gonna be a plus,” said Bob Chubala, chairman for the Piston Ring World of Wheels car show. “I don’t think it’s going to deter anything from the car people.”

World of Wheels has supported cruise nights for nearly four decades. The event began at Pony Corral’s former Fort Richmond neighbourhood location.

Cruisers tend to ride in the city’s west end (Portage Avenue is a favourite) and have extended to the Grant Park location due to the shows Pony Corral hosts, noted Willy Williamson, who MCs the events. (Williamson is a Free Press editor.)

“Maybe this’ll stretch that commute a little further, and people will come to the east end of the city. There might be growing pains initially, but we’ll figure it out. We’re excited,” he said.

He knows all the regulars — car enthusiasts who may tinker in their garages during the winters and show off their wheels during the summer. Cruise nights are a community celebration, Williamson described.

“We have a lot of fond memories at the Grant location. The community around there was really great to us. It’s bittersweet,” he said.

Stan Bedernjak also has fond memories, including in December, where he gathered with fellow high school alum at an annual catch-up. The group of 40 St. Paul’s High School graduates must determine their new Christmas lunch location.

“It kind of caught everybody off-guard. If we decide to have it still in that area, we’ll have to head down to Pembina,” Bedernjak said.

Ginakes called the business decision “emotional.” He’s gotten to know the community, he said.

“This will be better for my customers. Focusing on my own restaurants helps me keep the prices lower.”

“We have a lot of fond memories at the Grant location. The community around there was really great to us. It’s bittersweet.”–Paul Williamson

Inflation and higher operating costs didn’t factor into the closure, Ginakes relayed. He shuttered his St. Mary Avenue location — where he rented space — in February 2020, with the intention of opening a Pony Corral on Donald Street. The COVID-19 pandemic fried the expansion plan.

Ginakes plans to focus on Pony Corral’s two locations for the near future.

Pre-pandemic, more restaurants opened than closed in Manitoba, said the Manitoba Restaurant & Foodservices Association’s executive director.

“Now it’s every two that close, one opens,” Shaun Jeffrey said. “We’re going in the wrong direction.”

Higher operating costs, crime and pandemic-era debt are among the challenges restaurateurs have faced over the past few years. He’s watched many “large staples” close their doors.

“We’re just not seeing that growth. It’s not just losing restaurants, but it’s actually losing the ability to attract new ones,” Jeffrey said.

The restaurant association has been conversing with Manitoba’s government. Still, a collaborative effort on programs tackling long-term growth is key, Jeffrey said.

Live music will continue at Pony Corral’s Pembina Highway location. Ginakes said he’s hoping to see Keenleyside Street closed Sundays for cruise night.

The City of Winnipeg approved such a closure Sept. 21, 2024, to accommodate the Pony Corral’s 30th anniversary car show. Nothing has been requested for 2025 yet, said Julie Horbal Dooley, a city spokeswoman.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com