Baiting the hook Pub owner hoping East Coast seafood concept lures diners to former Earls location By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 7:00 PM CST Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022

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The king grabbed his fishing rod — and he’s headed to Main Street.

Chris Graves, owner of the King’s Head Pub, is opening an East Coast-inspired restaurant in the former downtown Earls location.

“I’m terrified… (and) I’m just excited,” Graves said.

He spent part of Tuesday morning renovating the future Friskee Pearl Bar and Eatery, taping its walls for drywall.

The goal is to open next February, but “there’s a lot to do” at 191 Main St., Graves said.

“We’re pushing hard,” he said. “I’m in there with my own two hands, doing a lot of the work on my own.”

The space will be split into a dining room and a lounge, with a room for private functions. The Friskee Pearl will host performers on its new stage.

“We’re going to be really focusing on a lot of local beers,” Graves noted, adding there’ll be signature cocktails.

Seafood will populate the menu, as will other proteins, Graves, a former Maritimer, said.

“We’re going to be really focusing on a lot of local beers.”–Chris Graves

The location has been empty since February; Earls moved about 500 metres down the street, into a 6,000-square-foot space in the 300 Main building, in March. Goodlife Fitness and OEB Breakfast Co. are among the businesses to move into the new Main Street high-rise.

Graves has been in talks with his bank and investors about the venture for the past half-year.

“One thing that’s great about banks — the more in debt you are with them, the more you become a partner with them.”

He couldn’t launch the Friskee Pearl without support from the bank and investors, he said.

The pandemic has been hard for business; traffic hasn’t yet returned to 2019 levels at the King’s Head Pub, Graves noted.

“Evenings is what is sort of allowing us to still continue to limp through it,” he said, adding the lunchtime crowd is lacking.

Some noon hours are busy; others are quiet. Scheduling staff is difficult because of the unpredictability — and it’s a problem many downtown restaurants still face, Graves said.

In September, 64 per cent of downtown workers were in the office at least part time, according to a September Probe Research poll the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ commissioned.

Still, Graves sees a future for the city’s core.

“We want to try to bring more (people) down here — as much as we can to help downtown thrive and grow.”–Chris Graves

“We want to try to bring more (people) down here — as much as we can to help downtown thrive and grow,” he said.

The Friskee Pearl can seat 240 people inside and another 140 on its patio. He’s looking to hire around 40 people at the restaurant.

“People are calling me a little bit crazy because the labour shortage is a real thing,” he said. “Trying to find that is going to be an interesting process.”

Some employees will come from the King’s Head’s 30-person pool. Nothing will change at the King Street pub, Graves added.

The East Coast is familiar to Graves, who grew up an hour outside of Halifax, and wants to bring “a little bit of Maritime flair” to the city he’s fallen in love with.

“To have someone have that vote of confidence invest in a location downtown… there’s just such an energy.”–Loren Remillard

“Given the difficulties restaurants have had, the difficulties our downtown experienced through the pandemic and continues to… to have someone have that vote of confidence invest in a location downtown… there’s just such an energy,” said Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. “(There’s) such an excitement.”

It speaks to a belief in the area’s future, Remillard noted.

“I hope that translates to others,” he said.

Kari England, a colleague of Graves’ in the Exchange District business sector, called the new eatery great news.

“There’s got to be (things) to bring people downtown,” the Toad Hall Toys manager said.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com