Will Chi Chi's Return to Winnipeg?

Excitement in the U.S. about the return of Chi-Chi's had a number of people remember when the restaurant opened on Maroons Road and St. James in Winnipeg in 1982. The above grainy picture shows Chi Chi's, Fingers and the large McDonald's that were popular places to go to when shopping at Polo Park or attending Jets and Bombers games or the Red River Ex which for many years was called Manisphere.

While the Polo Park location wasn't the only place in the city that Chi Chi's was, it had that reputation that it could be open till 4 AM on game days. The Mexican menu was a hit, the deep fried ice cream was a treat and the birthday party liquor flowed. It became very popular for hockey and football players to visit Chi Chi's. It was a very different time as smoking was permitted in restaurants but not permitted at the sporting venues except in designated areas. It meant that people went to the lounges at Chi Chi's and Fingers and smoked like crazy. Add to that legal happy hours. A smoking ban would not come till 2004. Around the same time happy hour limitations came into place.

Since Chi Chi's closed in 1992 in Winnipeg, the name has been by Hormel Foods in Minnesota which has licensed food products with the restaurant name with some success. The last restaurants before bankruptcy in the U.S. were around 2004. A Hepatitis outbreak pretty much defeated them at that time. 

The son of the former owner from Minneapolis has been given permission to start opening updated versions of Chi Chi's. At it's height, over 200 locations were across North American and beyond. They key of course is updated versions of what worked way back and none of what didn't work out and won't now. For example, most restaurants now have to be part of the pick up and delivery system. Perhaps not a drive-thru but an area of the restaurant for takeaway. We see it less in Canada but it is everywhere in the U.S.

Cost is having a huge impact on the restaurant industry. Chili's has made a bit of comeback because they have been very price conscious. TGI Fridays has struggled. And so it goes in the restaurant industry. The novelty of Tex Mex isn't a thing anymore. Shredded lettuce in abundance might have worked in the past but an improved Chi Chi's menu with some of the faves and a new offerings is probably the only thing to avoid a repeat of the previous failure.

The Polo Park Chi- Chi's was simply the biggest restaurant in all of western Canada with 400 seats. That title eventually went to the IKEA restaurant in Winnipeg which has 650 seats.

It is shocking how any people can point to work experience at Chi- Chi's, a birthday event or pre or post sports attendance at the restaurant. If two Chi Chi's are planned for Minnesota, I expect we'll see quite a few people from Manitoba visit those locations. And I fully expect there will be a few enquiries from Winnipeg on franchise opportunities. The big question is where. Polo Park no longer has the sports facilities that made it is a triple threat. Close to the football stadium seems unlikely. If it didn't work for Earls, why would it work for Chi Chi's? Downtown is possible with The Keg building a new location. Would a Chi Chi's near the arena where Jets, Moose and Sea Bears games are? Or is Polo Park still king even without sports?

Second London Drugs Coming to Polo Park

Polo Park goes through changes every ten years or so. Sometimes it is a surprise such as when Sears or Zellers closed and sometimes it is expansions they take on themselves. It is what make this particular shopping center the number 1 one in Manitoba and one of the tops in Canada.

The second floor has gone through a few changes. After many years as department stores like Brettons and Zellers, the mall decided to do a horseshoe of a variety of stores. Some have been very successful such as Tommy Guns will be moving to a larger location. Others unnamed will close. It was revealed some others like Famous Footwear are moving.

London Drugs will be the new store taking up second floor space at Polo Park. A few more stores are to be closed or moved before that happens. Below the Belt and Urban Outfitters will no longer be in the mall. Build-A-Bear has already moved. It will be sometime in 2025 that London Drugs will open which will be 25 years since they first arrived in Winnipeg at St. Vital Mall.

There is already a Shopper's Drug Mart in the mall. However, London Drugs is also known for electronics and other items that Shopper's Drug Mart does not carry. There are over 80 stores of London Drugs across western Canada. It is curious why Manitoba has only had one for 24 years when Saskatchewan has 5.

The horseshoe part of the mall has had more difficulty attracting and retaining stores than other parts of Polo Park. A pharmacy and store like London Drugs is a game changer. It will stabilize that area of the mall and make it and attractive stop for those not wanting to go all the way to St. Vital Mall. 

Three New Goodlife Fitness Locations for Winnipeg 2019/2020

Safe to say that Winnipeg is experiencing a building boom when it comes to fitness center across the city. The reasons for this vary but in part it can be explained as community centers not having nearly enough space or resources for a mature market of people wanting exercise centers. After graduating from schools and universities the choices for the adult fitness market are more often than not private fitness places. Moreover, how people keep fit can change as we age out of school and community sports like hockey, football and basketball. It is difficult to keep active with team sports due to work, family commitments or wear and tear.

Fitness is a solo thing save for joining group exercises such as yoga, cycling or dance/weight classes. We can still do our regular stuff such as swimming and biking, gardening and golfing but Canada is a winter country and daylight hours wane away so have created an infrastructure of indoor recreation facilities nation-wide.

Until recently you would really only be able to point to the Y as being the one true national fitness center. However, the Y kind of gives away its mission statement. It skews young and always will. It is a family friendly place and make no apologies for it. And over the years many of their facilities and services have upgraded and they do their job very well.

Goodlife, on the other hand, is a genuine Canadian coast to coast fitness center with a large presence in Winnipeg. That presence is about to get bigger. Goodlife is going to spend $30 million on two new clubs, relocation of one club and renovations on the rest. And by big, that means big. As reported already here on this blog, a 60,000 square foot club is going up on Bishop Grandin between Pembina Highway and Waverley along the north side. It will be double the size of Grant Park and Kenaston locations.

The Bishop Grandin location above will have a women's only section, a pool, a hot yoga studio and meditation space. The fitness center is scheduled to open in December. It would appear to be that it is in a race with the Altea fitness center which looks to be complete about the same time in the Bridgwater area on far south Kenaston. The Altea will be even larger and feature its own exclusive amenities. The continuing residential development and density building along Kenaston and now Bishop Grandin might generate the population to sustain the large facilities. In the case of Bridgwater, this growing area seems to have an anemic public recreation area so Altea might be only place for several years to come. As far as Bishop Grandin, the new bus rapid transit and high rises are right along the route the new Goodlife will stand on.

The Kenaston Goodlife is likely to benefit from a huge residential component in Kapyong and along Sterling Lyon while the Grant Park location is surrounded by apartments and is also adjacent to bus rapid transit. A lot of thought has gone into these multi-million dollar developments. Winnipeg is growing and the competition to serve the city means we are seeing some top notch building taking place.

Goodlife has indicated clubs in existence will be getting renovations. In this heavy competition, fitness centers will have to look to upgrade faster lest people look elsewhere. As far as other fitness centers like Shapes, Planet Fitness, Snap or Anytime Fitness, they will have to compete on price, location and amenities. Big won't always win the race. For those not in a car, the presence of a gym in a place such as the Osborne Village will be the choice they often make.

It is obvious Winnipeg has seen a dramatic increase in fitness centers across every geographic area but one area has been sadly lacking: St. Vital. The rumours have been true all along and Goodlife will be building in St. Vital Mall likely in the old Sears location. The location will be 27,000 square feet and be ready in spring on 2020.

The third new club will be at 330 Main Street in what people still call the Trizec building. It will be part of the residential/commercial component being building above Winnipeg Square and will be ready in summer of 2020. Once it is complete, the old Goodlife in what was the TD/Canwest building will be shut down. The new club will be about 24,000 square feet.

Once complete the new clubs will add about 200 jobs to the market.

The growth of Winnipeg by the tens of thousands in recent years and a desire to get healthy will probably fuel this competition for the next few years. It is interesting to note that malls such as Winnipeg Square, Garden City, Grant Park and now St. Vital Mall are adding fitness centers to drive traffic. It is difficult to imagine it happening 10 years ago in the city.