Steakhouse to enter market
Saskatoon will have a little more sizzle this summer with the opening of a new steak house.
Mr Mikes Steakhouse Casual should have their grills fired up by late summer or early fall, said Robin Chakrabarti, CFO of RAMMP Hospitality Brands Inc., which owns Mr Mikes.
“We’ll have four opened by the end of the year in Saskatchewan,” Chakrabarti said.
The first Saskatchewan franchise opened in Yorkton and locations in Regina (Grasslands Mall at Gordon Road and Harvard Way) and Prince Albert (Cornerstone Mall on 15th Street E.) are also set to open this year.
The first Mr Mikes opened in 1960 in Vancouver.
RAMMP bought the brand four years ago and set about revamping the restaurants.
“We changed the name from Mr. Mikes Steakhouse and Bar to Mr. Mikes SteakhouseCasual,” said Chakrabarti, adding they wanted to get back to the roots of the business, which was a casual steak place.
“We are not the white tablecloth experience,” he said.
“Come in, have fun. It’s irreverent. There’s always a sense of humour in everything we do. And we want it to be an affordable indulgence for people.”
The menu has a lot of variety, though “it is definitely focused on high-end steaks and our world famous Mikeburger.”
The dining chain currently has 24 restaurants and is expanding quickly across Western Canada.
“Our goal is to get over 75 stores in Western Canada in the next five years,” Chakrabarti said.
Saskatoon’s restaurant will be located on Eighth Street in a converted Rogers Video site in Grosvenor Park Centre.
On one side will be the restaurant and the other will house the UrbanLodge bar, which features private label beers and exclusive wines.
With a growing economy and increasing wages, Saskatoon is a good fit for this type of restaurant.
“The goal over time would be to have two or three (in Saskatoon) in the coming years,” Chakrabarti said.