Johnny Canoe comeback?

By Inderia Saunders ~ Guardian Business Reporter ~ Inderia@nasguard.com:

Owners of Cafe Johnny Canoe, arguably once one of the most popular restaurants in The Bahamas, have not closed the door on opening the eatery at another location, with customer demand still high for such a move.

According to Mike Pikramenos, whose family owned and operated the renown Cable Beach restaurant, the possibility was not completely off the table.

"We haven't made a concrete decision on whether Johnny Canoe is coming back," he told Guardian Business yesterday, "but a lot of people are asking. It's definitely a question asked by a lot of our customers.

"But for now, there are no plans for Johnny Canoe."

Once the anchor tenant for the closed Nassau Beach hotel, the restaurant was evicted in early 2008, with then intentions of Baha Mar construction expected to kickoff. It displaced over 50 employees of the restaurant at the time.

Finding a location that would allow the owners to duplicate the restaurant's winning formula of combining native cuisine with a Junkanoo atmosphere - replete with a group of rushers - is likely key to any plans for a reopening.

The eatery was a favorite of both locals and tourists, alike.

Tuesday March 02, 2010