The Bear’s Paw Lounge, located in Fairmont Hot Springs Resort’s main lodge, has recently undergone an interior makeover and name change to suit its new atmosphere.
Now the Bear’s Paw Bar and Grill, the restaurant will be servicing a wider demographic with its comfy, casual interior and entirely new bar.
“It was dated, it felt like we were back in time,” said chief operating officer Dean Prentice of the former interior.
The original interior was indeed a very “lounge-esque” style restaurant, complete with a large U-shaped bar in the center of the room.
Now the bar has been pushed back to a larger, straight counter, with more tables for seating, including the outdoor patio.
“This new design has doubled the capacity from a seating standpoint,” said Prentice.
The demolition and revamp took 18 days, and the project is still not complete, according to Prentice.
New doors, for example, will be added to the restaurant’s entrance, and a large single window looking out onto the patio will be converted into a garage door.
The walls have been changed to display prints of trees, and new wooden tables and chairs have replaced the old seats.
A decorative kayak hanging above completes the “woodsy” feel of the new restaurant.
“In order to appeal to internal and local guests, we’ve made it the Bear’s Paw Bar and Grill, to draw more outside traffic and broaden our base, and update the place,” said Prentice.
The menu has changed somewhat as well, keeping classic favourites, but also adding more grill-savvy food items.
“We’re appealing to a broader base now, so we want to please a wide variety of palettes,” said Prentice. “We have burgers, pastas, pizzas — things that lend more to a grillhouse.”
Prentince says that the menu may undergo more changes, depending on customer feedback.
“We will continue to monitor our customer feedback and look at different sets of opinions,” said Prentice. “We will be willing to alter and change our menu depending on that. We encourage people to come and check us out — I think it looks great in here and I hope other people do too.”
For more about the Bear Paw’s Bar and Grill, call Fairmont Hot Springs Resort at 250-345-6070.