TheMuseum rethinks restaurant space
Welcomes public input as B@TheMuseum closes
KITCHENER — B@TheMuseum, the street-front restaurant of TheMuseum, is permanently closing after five years.
The restaurant, which specialized in local ingredients and craft beer, has been closed since mid-March because of the COVID pandemic.
David Marskell, the CEO of TheMuseum, said B@TheMuseum was “a wonderful gathering space in the downtown.”
TheMuseum is considering options for the space, Marskell said in an email. “Now is not the time to simply replace what we once had for arts and culture. Now is the time to rethink, reboot and form new strategic alliances.”
The restaurant occupied “prime front window space,” Marskell said. It could be used to showcase science, tech, engineering, arts and math, or digital features, but the museum would like to have some venue where visitors can get food and drink, so it may continue as a restaurant, “perhaps licensed with a modest menu and merchandise.”
“Our intention is to have our plans firmed up by mid-July and be up and running by September,” Marskell said. “We very much welcome input from the public. We may create something temporary in the interim including an outdoor patio or even one inside if permitted.”
Like all other arts and culture venues, TheMuseum had to close its doors to the public in mid-March, a move that meant the loss of key March break revenues. It plans to reopen in phases with its current exhibits on climate change, but a full reopening likely won’t happen until at least September.
The closure has hurt revenues, especially from special events and rentals for weddings and other events, Marskell said, adding that he’s confident things will pick up soon. “I feel 80 per cent of that revenue is just being deferred into the next year so we are expecting to be extremely busy again and soon.”
In the meantime, it has focused on digital programming and online summer camps. “Digital is here to stay, it is not just a bandage during the pandemic,” Marskell said. “It is also not about putting your collection — which we do not have — online. It is about interaction and being as experiential as possible to remain relevant.” TheMuseum has embarked on an ambitious expansion plan that would double its square footage to 80,000 square feet and take over the BMO building next door. It must raise $25 million over the next decade to fund the expansion.