An iconic restaurant that was forced to shut its door in March 2020 will soon be welcoming guests again.
The Hoito Restaurant could be open as early as June 2022 after the Finlandia Co-operative of Thunder Bay signed a lease with BK Realty Investment Management. It has been a staple in the community for more than 100 years, originally opening May 1st, 1918.
President of the Finlandia Co-operative of Thunder Bay Paula Haapanen explains why this announcement means so much to the city.
“All of us have a specific personal reason why we’re around this table, many of us are Finish background, but all of us who are from Thunder Bay have spent part of our youth eating at this restaurant or taking part in activities in the hall, and it was really important to us that we could maintain that for generations to come.”
Before reopening, the restaurant will be going through some extensive renovations.
Owner of the Finnish Labour Temple Brad McKinnon provides some details.
“It’s being completely gutted and renovated,” explains McKinnon. “New flooring, lighting, some new kitchen equipment, it was just in desperate need of renovation and upgrading. Not much had been done in the last 40 or 50 years, so we want to being it into the 21st century. We want to make it a clean comfortable place for people to come and eat again.
McKinnon says that while they initially thought the renovations would last 18 months, he believes two years is a more realistic timeline.
While you will have to wait until at least next summer to dine at the Hoito again, the Finlandia Co-operative of Thunder Bay does have some plans for the months leading up. They will be bringing more merchandise to market, and is even considering pop-up restaurants or opening at a fixed location on a limited scale in order to test menu items and train new staff.