1999 Brier
SLAM! Sports
SLAM! Curling
1999 BRIER
ON THE ROCKS
INTERACTIVE
ALSO ON SLAM!
Brier Patch
Table set for party
But the man stocking the Sportex building with food and drink is confident enough to plan for the biggest, friendliest Brier Patch ever - and selling 110,000 cans of beer should be a nice start.
"We're prepared to be very busy," the Northlands Park food and beverage manager said yesterday afternoon as he paced around the cavernous tavern, which seats 3,500.
While fire inspectors fired off questions and staff scrambled to put finishing touches on the western motif before last night's opening, Gomes listed off his expectations for the biggest bar in Canada:
- 40,000 visitors drawn over the 10 days;
- 60,000 oz. of hard liquor sold;
- 3,000 kg of sausage cooked up;
- 300 kg of pasta polished off (with 300 litres of sauce);
- 3,000 kg of beef and bison consumed - roughly the equivalent of 10 whole cows;
- remarkably few crowd problems compared to hockey fans.
"History tells us that Brier fans tend to be pretty well behaved," Gomes said. Still, he's taking no chances; there'll be 70 security staff on hand, even if the loudest grumbles from the crowd are coming from impatient tummies.
"We'll have 3,500-4,000 people walk in here all expecting to be served within 15 minutes," said Gomes, anticipating a dinner rush just before the 6:30 p.m. draw.
Gomes visited last year's poorly reviewed Patch in Winnipeg - a warehouse far from the ice action - and resolved to offer better food and more atmosphere.
Northlands executive chef Adel Chmait said the kitchen's buzzwords for the event are "simple, fast and hearty" - hence all the beef, which also suits the western theme.
The previously barren Sportex facility has been graced with a wooden trading post, a covered wagon, hay bales ... and giant TVs. To make it all happen, contractor Hugh Bussey has pretty much lived in his cherry picker for a week.
"There have been a couple of days when I've been up until midnight," he said wearily as his vehicle idled on the dance floor.
Will we see him back at the Patch on his off hours?
"I'll probably be sleeping."
He may be the only one.