Glace Bay's Miners Village Restaurant reopens under new ownership

For months, the Miners Village Restaurant in Glace Bay, N.S., has sat empty — its future up in the air after long-time operators Wilma MacAulay and her husband retired.

“There were comments from right across Canada. There was disappointment," said Mary Pat Mombourquette, executive director of the Cape Breton Miners Museum.

“People came into this restaurant and they felt like they were being taken care of by family.”

For patrons, the restaurant is more than a place to eat. Its early-style furniture — a large brick fireplace and kerosene lamps — evoke an earlier age and match the associated Cape Breton Miners Museum.

“Just like the miners are very down-to-earth people and friendly, that's what this restaurant represented too. It's really part of that whole experience,” said Mombourquette.

Now, thanks to Tam Campbell, 30, and his partner Julia MacMillan, 26, locals and tourists will soon get a taste.

“I was born in Ottawa, but my grandfather was a coal miner from Glace Bay,” said Campbell. “Moving back here, I’ve become more in touch with that culture and more in touch with what it meant to be part of that industry.”

There are no plans to change the menu.

It’s the couple’s second restaurant venture in Glace Bay, N.S., since moving to the community from Ontario.

“We see something here. It’s [a] quaint, ocean-side town that can really change its image and become something different,” said Campbell.

“I think it's important for businesses to start investing in a different way here, whether it be tourism, restaurants, hotels, and different experiences that can really bring this area into the future.”

They hope to open the doors May 3, just in time for Mother's Day.