Yellowknife’s Wildcat Café will not reopen this year after an electrical fire at the premises a week ago, the city said on Wednesday.
The City of Yellowknife owns the building, a reconstructed vintage log cabin considered the community’s oldest restaurant.
Last Thursday evening, an electrical fire broke out inside a wall at the back of the restaurant. Diners had to leave and the café has been closed since.
Despite early optimism that it could soon reopen, the city said on Wednesday that work to restore the building will now keep it closed until next summer.
“It has been a pleasure working with Chef Niki Mckenzie and we are saddened by the unfortunate events causing the Wildcat Café to close early,” city facilities manager Johanna Elliot was quoted as saying. The Wildcat is farmed out by the city to different operators every one or two years, and Mckenzie – formerly of the Fishy People restaurant – had been running it this summer.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
.”We look forward to making the necessary repairs so that residents can enjoy more of Niki’s elevated dishes again next year,” Elliot stated.
Mckenzie was quoted as saying her team had enjoyed “an incredible time serving our community” at the Wildcat.
“The city is working hard behind the scenes to get everything back up and running for the 2025 summer season, where we will bring you a new version of nostalgic classics, northern flair and as many locally grown vegetables we can get our hands on,” Mckenzie promised.
