The former CN Railway station in downtown Kamloops will host a steakhouse once again. This time, however, the venture will be run by local restaurateurs.
Twisted Steak is expected to open at 500 Lorne St. sometime in the fall, bringing steak back to a location that housed The Keg restaurant for 11 years until 2016.
“It’s got a cool downstairs lounge/bar area and the dining room is in great shape, still. It’s been really well kept. It looks like you could have it open next week if you already had the licensing,” said Twisted Steak co-owner Jeff Mitton, who runs a number of restaurant locations in Kamloops, including Mittz Kitchen.
Mitton and his brother own 50 per cent of the new location, with investment partners taking the remaining stake.
Twisted Steak is currently located at 1175 Rogers Way in the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel and Mitton said that location will remain open at least until the end of August.
Mitton said work is underway to submit a floor plan to the city and apply for a new liquor license — as the hotel held the current Twisted Steak license.
The move will also be an expansion, with 70 to 100 more seats than the current location, Mitton estimated.
That might also mean more staff.
“We’ll probably have to bring a few more people on, but it all depends on business. I like to think that we’re going to be busy. Anybody we’ve talked to likes the idea of having a restaurant down there again,” Mitton said.
The station opened in 1927 and served CN rail passengers. Following the closure of The Keg in 2016, there were plans to use the space for a distillery and restaurant, but that project fell through, according to Mitton.
Yew Street Food Hall still in the works
Another project involving the Mitton brothers is planned to open before the fall. The Yew Street Food Hall will house 10 stalls for non-franchise eateries.
The food hall still has one stall to fill and some work with equipment left to do, but Mitton said things are shaping up.
The hall, which is located in commercial space below a residential building in North Kamloops, dubbed The Colours on Spirit Square, was originally expected to open in the spring of 2021. However, it has been delayed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re getting there. The timeline is shortening up,” Mitton said. “I’m hesitant, still, to put a date on it because it’s still a moving target.”
Mitton said the food hall will have “a very warehouse feel,” and plenty of options to eat, including two restaurants owned by the brothers, Mittz and Co. and Inferno Pizza Company.
