The owner of Bubba Ray's Sports Bar, which received The Coast's Best of Halifax Readers' Choice Awards gold seal of approval in 2016 for best chicken wings, confirmed the business will be expanding to the area.
“It's a smaller venue than we usually have but being in the Birthplace of Hockey, I thought it was a good move for us to give Windsor a try,” said Brad Hartlin.
Hartlin and his business partners have six Bubba Ray's Sports Bar locations (this figure includes Garlands Crossing), plus three other ventures.
“When we do this, we bring our own brand there and we move with our own product. We think we will be successful,” said Hartlin.
The restaurant, which is family-friendly, is set to open Feb. 3, but the opening may be delayed until the following week.
Hartlin said the interest in their arrival has been positive, with about 75 job applications received. He said they try to hire local whenever possible.
“We try to do as much as we can locally. If we can use local people in the area when we build them, we do, and then we try to give back to the community,” said Hartlin. “That's our big thing. If people support us, then we want to support them back.”
That support, he said, could equate to team sponsorship, helping host an event, or provide team meals.
Bubba Ray's Sports Bar will be opening in the Garlands Crossing shopping district, in a location that had previously been a restaurant.
“It is a smaller venture so 60-65 seats. Some of our spots have 280 seats so it's a little different on that end but at the same time, it's the right fit for us. We're very excited,” said Hartlin.
The owner said they are also considering branching out to a few other communities, including Wolfville, New Glasgow and Sydney, but said those ventures would only come to fruition if the right opportunity arose. However, they are “on our radar.”
