Concession stand at Virgil arenas finally open

It’s official. Hockey and skating fans can now purchase a snack at the concession stand at the Meridian Credit Union and Centennial Arenas in Virgil. 

The town announced just before Christmas day that the concession stand was to reopen on Tuesday, Dec. 27. A press release promised that warm coffee, tea and hot chocolate, along with snacks and baked goods, would be available for purchase that day. 

The concession stand will be open during public skating, Niagara-on-the-Lake Skating Club activities, Niagara-on-the-Lake Minor Hockey games, and possibly during the Friday night home games of the Niagara Predators. 

Sweets and Swirls Cafe will be the concession operator this season, making the arenas their second town location, in addition to their setup at the NOTL community centre on Anderson Lane.

James Cadeau, who along with his wife Erinn Lockard runs Sweet and Swirls, said the town reached out to them with one simple instruction: “Get it open.”

“They came to us about a month ago and asked us if we would run it until April, when they will put it up to an open bid,” Cadeau tells The Local. “So we’ve been busy getting it ready.”

Lockard adds that it’s amazing some of the supplies you don’t realize you need until the last minute. Just before the stand’s scheduled 2 p.m. opening Tuesday during a public skate, it dawned on her that she didn’t have important things such as tape and scissors. 

Nevertheless, Lockard rolled the concession door open shortly after 2 p.m. to little fanfare. Just  seconds later, though, three young boys walked gingerly up to the counter on their skates to be the first customers to check out the wares. 

Chocolate bars and chips were on their list, as well as hot chocolate. Lockard had to ask them politely to come back in an hour or so as the first batch of the sweet treat wouldn’t be ready until then. 

“I’m so excited this is open,” said Dean, who is also a minor hockey player. He plunked down some cash for a bag of chips. “I’m going to have to bring some money to every hockey game from now on.”

Dean promised to be back at the end of his skate to get that hot chocolate, and Lockard suggested that he perhaps think about also buying a coffee for his ‘chauffeur’ Tuesday.

Cadeau said it will take awhile to figure out exactly what items will be in demand as they move forward over the next four months. He promised that some of the familiar fare from their community centre location will find its way to the arena. 

“Erinn has such a wonderful array of things that she provides at the community centre,” said Cadeau. “She’s going to try some different things here.”

For at least the first few weeks Cadeau explained that one of the most popular items in the past, french fries, will not be available. Right now Erinn and the couple’s two children, Liam and Daphne, are covering most of the shifts at the arena and they need some training on the deep fryer. 

The concession stand has been closed since March, 2020, and only reopened in September when the arena hosted an Ontario Hockey League game between the Erie Otters and the Niagara Ice Dogs. That night it was staffed by volunteers with NOTL Minor Hockey. 

The extended closure of the concession stand came up often during October’s municipal election campaigning, and it seems it became one of the new council’s first orders of business. 

“Sweets & Swirls Cafe is a beloved location in town, and on behalf of town council, we are thrilled to see the cafe open up at the arena,” said Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa in the press release. “The arena is a busy place this time of year, and I know that residents and visitors will enjoy having a place to get food and drinks.”

Cadeau said it will be a bit of a balancing act for him and Lockard to operate the two locations, but they know they will be looking to hire some young staff to help at the arena. 

And they have four months to figure out how to run both locations and not lose money doing so. If they are successful at that, they will be one of the bidders on the chance to go forward into next winter.

“Concession stands are a tough business model,” explained Cadeau. “I’m cautiously excited and optimistic. I think that because we have the cafe, if we move slowly, we should be able to make it work.”

“We’ll analyze the situation by April,” he added, “and see what the revenue is and what the labour costs are. We’re happy to provide this service to the community, but we don’t want to do it at a loss.”

The stand’s hours of operation will be posted outside the concession and on the town’s website.