ATHABASCA – Athabasca’s pizza and pasta lovers are rejoicing as a beloved community restaurant is set to re-open Jan. 21 after a year-long hiatus.
The 49th Street Grill is back in business, thanks to two of its longest-serving employees and the help of a local entrepreneur.
“In the beginning, we wanted to buy the business, but none of the banks would finance a restaurant; we tried several, and it just wasn’t happening,” said Lauri McCullough, who had worked at the restaurant for 16 years before it closed in January 2024.
Instead, the building was purchased by Ryan Hamzeh, who owns and operates the New Neighbours Pub just across the block from the grill, and the partners were able to set up an agreement to rent the space.
McCullough will be running the front-of-house side of the business, while Chris Mendoza will be working the grill, cooking up community favourites and adding a few new dishes to the menu while he’s at it.
“We’re opening just like we never closed,” said McCullough in a Jan. 15 interview. The restaurant is busy — while the interview was taking place, Mendoza was working with suppliers to get ingredients ready, and the pair is still waiting on a liquor licence — but the community excitement has been palpable.
“We’re excited to see all the old customers; we’ve been seeing people around town as we’re opening and everybody is super excited. They can all tell you what they want, they’re asking if we still have it, and the things they remember,” said McCullough.
So far, pizza and lasagna have been the most requested items, but the duo is looking to expand the menu. Old favourites are going to remain, but daily soup and sandwich specials, alongside a nightly dinner special and some new everyday sandwiches will give everyone a reason to come check out the restaurant.
“When I first started working here, it felt like every customer was just so amazed at how good the food was. ‘The food was awesome,’ was all we ever heard. I worked here the whole time and I told Shauna (Milner) ‘You guys should really open another restaurant and franchise this,” said McCullough.
“We’re in a tiny town, but if you had something like this in a major city like Calgary, Vancouver, or Toronto, that would be amazing.”
A small town legacy
The 49th Street Grill first opened in 1981, and long-time owner Shauna Milner took over the business in 1998.
“A restaurant is, how do you want to be served?” said Milner in an February interview after the restaurant closed down. “You want your coffee to keep coming, you want good food … it’s just common sense basically, as long as you’ve got a good cook.”
As Milner grew the business, the family-like relationship between the staff continued to grow as well. McCullough and other long-time employees took on larger roles in times where Milner couldn’t, and that legacy is one the current team is hoping to carry forward.
“This is a place to stop for. Everybody comes to Athabasca for the lakes, but when it's raining or when you want a night out people come here,” said McCullough.
“It’s still going to be a family business.”
-With files from Lexi Freehill
