Winnipeg bridge restaurant Mon Ami Louis to stay open longer

Third time appears to be the charm for the restaurant on Esplanade Riel.

WOWHospitality opened Mon Ami Louis in late July with the expectation of closing September 30.

• WOW Hospitality's Mon Ami Louis to open on Provencher Bridge in July

Doug Stephen, President and CEO of WOW, said because business has been so good at the restaurant, it will remain open until Thanksgiving at least.

"Minimally we're going to stay open the same hours that we've been all summer long until the Thanksgiving weekend, and then we're going to review still what's happening because we've had an acceptance from the people of Winnipeg and St.Boniface of the concept and were much busier this summer than we thought we were going to be so we're going to take some initiative and try and stay open as long as we can depending upon the weather," Stephen said.

That may mean opening only five days a week, serving only dinner or lunches on certain days until the end of December.

Originally the deal with the city involved the restaurant being opened seasonally, from May 1 to September 30, and then open for particular events in the off season.

Stephen said if business continues to be steady, the restaurant can legally operate.

But Stephen does anticipate the restaurant will close from January to the end of March.

There are plans in the works to have some kind of shuttle operate to bring patrons to the restaurant during colder months, but Stephen is still working out the details.

Two other restaurants have tried to make a go of it on the bridge, only to close.

• Salisbury House closes on Esplanade Riel
• Chez Sophie, Winnipeg's only bridge restaurant, closes its doors

"I'm breathing a bit of a sigh of relief," Stephen said.

"I obviously had the same kind of hesitation that most people would have and some anxiety, I think the results of what happened this summer has lessened that anxiety and given me a little bit of an opportunity to smile," Stephen said.

"And most importantly, I'm so very very happy that we're going to try very hard to have an operation on that bridge in what I consider to be one of the two most iconic buildings in the city of Winnipeg," Stephen said.