owners of seasonal restaurant in north cape, p.e.i., offer $0 lease incentive for summer 2026
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hoping to find an operator for wind and reef, a restaurant in north cape, tignish initiative corp. is offering a $0 lease for the 2026 season.
brenda maclean
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contributed
after several years of struggling to find an operator for its restaurant in north cape, a western p.e.i. organization is leasing the space for $0 this summer, hoping to attract a tenant.
“we wanted to get the word out there, so people were aware,” said anne arsenault, general manager and ceo of tignish initiative corp. “our biggest interest is to get an experienced, qualified operator in there to offer the type of experience that we want to give visitors.”
tignish initiative corp. has owned the wind and reef, located in the north cape wind energy interpretive centre, for about three decades. most of that time was spent with a single, long-term tenant, until they stepped away in 2019.
the restaurant remained closed the next summer, but found a tenant for 2021. they only lasted a single season. it would not reopen again until summer 2024, though it was again closed for 2025. all the while, tignish initiative had been trying to find operators, to no avail.
“it definitely has been a challenge,” said arsenault.
asset to western p.e.i.
the wind and reef, said amanda barlow with north cape coastal drive tourism partnership, is an asset to western p.e.i.
“north cape is already a draw with the lighthouse and reef, but having a restaurant there completes the experience,” she wrote in an email to the journal pioneer.
“it gives visitors a reason to stay longer, spend more time in the region and makes the destination feel more welcoming and complete.”
after advertising the $0 lease for this summer, arsenault said she’d received several responses.
as of early april, the organization was working with a potential operator, though it was unable to disclose who at the time of speaking to journal pioneer. should that tenant fall through, arsenault said they have a number of others to reach out to, as well.
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“it is looking good for this season,” arsenault said. “we’ve had a lot of interest, a lot of qualified inquiries.”
as part of the evaluation process, potential tenants were to submit a proposal for their ideas for the restaurant, including future plans. the idea, arsenault said, is for the tenant to return for next year’s season as well.
as for the $0 lease incentive, arsenault is glad that it helped garner interest in the restaurant and said she is confident that wind and reef will open its doors once again.
“it worked well,” she said. “we’re very happy that this is working out, and we look forward to letting folks know … who the operator will be, and when it’s going to be opening up to the public.”
kristin gardiner is a reporter for the journal pioneer in prince edward island. she can be reached at kgardiner@postmedia.com.
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