Visitors at the West Kootenay Regional Airport will once again be able to purchase a cup of coffee and a snack when the Humble Bean Coffee Company opens a cafe later this month.
The business entered into a six month lease with the City of Castlegar while a long-term restaurant concept is being developed as part of the upcoming terminal expansion project.
The restaurant space at the airport has been vacant since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Airport manager Maciej Habrych says it has been a struggle to attract an appropriate operator who would provide full food and beverage services for the past two and a half years.
The airport customer service desk says the lack of a food services at the airport has been a common complaint.
A City of Castlegar staff report says the Humble Bean Coffee Company is an established Castlegar-based cafe with the staff, experience, and equipment available to provide the required level of service.
The new cafe will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. seven days a week. The menu will include grab and go snacks, wraps and all of the coffee and tea options patrons of the Humble Bean’s previous downtown coffee shop.
“The City of Castlegar and the community have been nothing short of amazing,” says Humble Bean co-owner Kimberley Mamos. “This collaboration is going to be a new adventure.
The Humble Bean also operates a coffee shop at the Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson.
The city says the six-month contract will provide a number of benefits including the ability to determine demand for a future restaurant and enhancements to support the new bus service operating during cancelled flights.
The expansion project is still in the planning stages with construction set to begin in 2025. It is expected to cost about $13 million and the city has already received a $6 million grant towards the project.
If a restaurant is approved for construction as part of the expansion project, the city says a formal public tender will be issued seeking a long-term restaurant operator to fill the new space.
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