Wendel Clark’s set to reopen in June

Downtown restaurant Wendel Clark’s is set to unlock its doors again in time for summer.

The sports bar in the Lister Block closed just before Christmas, and a grand reopening will be held on June 1, said Sam D’Uva, president of Dynamic Hospitality and Entertainment Group, which franchises the chain.

“We (will) strive to be much better than we were,” he told The Spectator.

The restaurant in the city-owned building at 28 James St. N. shut down for renovations about a month after its franchise owners parted ways from the business in November, according to D’Uva.

After that, Dynamic started negotiating with the city about renovations they believe will help improve business, including directly connecting the restaurant to the building’s washrooms.

Since then, D’Uva said they’ve found a way to construct a doorway linking the two by relocating the electrical panel.

Other renovations will see a slightly expanded kitchen and new seating, tables, flooring and paint. “We wanted to give it a fresh look,” D’Uva said. Initially, there was talk about designing a separate space to accommodate functions for 75 people, but Dynamic has reached an agreement with the city to use an existing room for such events.

Altogether, the renovation work and tying up loose ends from the previous franchisees, like paying rent owed to the city, cost Dynamic about $300,000, D’Uva said.

At this point, the restaurant remains a corporate store but the chain is looking for franchisees interested in the “turnkey operation,” he said.

Wendel Clark’s Classic Grill and Bar, which has three locations outside of Hamilton, held its grand opening in the Lister Block in July 2015.

The chain is partially owned by the former Maple Leafs captain.

Prior to Wendel Clark’s moving in, the space had been occupied by Chris DesRoches of 28 Lister Chophouse and Grill.

The city evicted him in November 2014 after a litany of complaints from contractors, suppliers and employees that they hadn’t been paid.