The former location of Tony Roma’s won’t be empty for much longer. After 22 years in its current location, The Den Pub and Carvery is moving into the spot on 117 Avenue in Grande Prairie.
The Den owner Todd Zahorodniuk says it’s been something that’s been on his mind for a while, and, though it’s an emotional move, it’s one that he’s excited to see happen.
“That’s a lot of years and there has been a lot of fun times and different things that we’ve done in that building,” he says. “With the college crowd, I still have college students from 20 years ago still calling it ‘ThursDen’ on Thursday night.”
Zahorodniuk explains the new building is slightly smaller than the current one, but the location has what he’s calling “the right pub look to it.” Being closed due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions also made for the perfect time to pull the trigger on the move.
“It’s a good time to do it, it’s exciting for the new year and with all this COVID-19 stuff people need some exciting stuff to happen. We’re really pumped about doing it.”
The former Tony Roma’s closed suddenly in October 2019 following the closure of five sister locations in Edmonton within the span of roughly a month. Former Tony Roma’s employees at the time were given less than 24 hours notice.
Zahorodniuk adds the new location still needs to undergo some minor renovations in order to suit the needs of the pub before the move can complete. Along with the new location, a new menu is also in the works.
“Food is the most important thing right now in the pub industry so we’re going to hit hard and have a lot of fun with it,” says Zahrodniuk.
The Den is scheduled to be moved into its new location in mid-to-late March. Zahrodniuk says optimally he would like to be able to see the place open for Saint Patrick’s Day.