Mexicali bids adios
Published Saturday March 21st, 2009
A1
By ADAM BOWIE
[email protected]
One of Fredericton's longest-running eateries abruptly closed its doors for good Friday evening, leaving many local residents disappointed.
Popular restaurant Mexicali Rosa's is finished in Fredericton, according to a staff member who asked not to be named.
"It's tough. But it is what it is, right? So we can't really change it now," said the disappointed employee.
The worker wasn't sure if ownership group Ross Ventures Ltd. will be opening a new business in the space, or expanding the Back Nine restaurant into the former Mexicali Rosa's location.
Representatives from the ownership group weren't available for comment Friday afternoon.
Fredericton's Mexicali Rosa's franchise opened in 1992. The popular chain began in Ottawa in 1979 and has 20 locations across Canada.
Longtime patron Sarah Lewis said she was shocked to hear the news and is disappointed she wasn't able to visit the establishment before it hung up its sombrero for the last time.
"I liked the food and I liked the atmosphere as well. It's so weird to me because I haven't heard anything about it before now," Lewis said.
Anthony Knight, CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, said he was sad to see the restaurant go, but he's hopeful the move is a sign of another business opportunity for the ownership group.
"Certainly, Mexicali Rosa's was an integral part of our downtown restaurant culture," he said.
"But as time progresses, we see change and new opportunities. We expect the ownership of the property to re-invest and expand as they see fit."
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Blues festival rakes in the green
Published Saturday March 21st, 2009
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]
The Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival pours about $5.8 million into the local economy in 2008, according to an arms-length survey prepared for festival organizers.
"The festival is a significant contributor to the economy and helps extend the peak tourism season for the capital city," said Patti Graham, chairwoman of the festival's board of directors.
"Anecdotally we've heard over the years from local businesses, like downtown restaurants, that Harvest weekend is one of their biggest weekends of the year.
"We know it can be awfully difficult to find a hotel room that weekend. So this study confirms once again that cultural events like Harvest can be major drivers of economic activity."
New Brunswick's Tourism Department conducted a survey of 404 jazz attendees out of 1,000 names collected and submitted from the festival event last year.
Of the 404 surveyed, there was an average 9.1 out of 10 satisfaction score with the event itself. Survey respondents were also asked about their spending, hotel and dining habits while attending the festival.
Brent Staeben, the festival's musical director, said the survey results are considered to be accurate 19 times out of 20, similar to a political poll result.
About 30 per cent of the visitors who attend the festival annually come from outside the city. About 30,000 people attended last year's event, but they take in more than one show, so admissions in 2008 hit about 80,000.
"Overall, it confirms we're offering a great product and patrons are very pleased with our programming. The survey also gave us a couple of areas to look at in the future, like increasing our seating to enhance overall patron comfort," Graham said.
According to the survey, average attendees took in two days and nights of the festival and frequented five performances at three venues. More than 65 per cent took in the festival's free shows and 79 per cent had attended the festival in the past.
The study estimated that visitors and local residents spent $512,000 on tickets and passes, $130,000 on transportation, $210,000 on hotel rooms, more than $100,000 on local retailers and $328,000 on food and beverage at local bars and restaurants.
"This is phenomenal data that we can use to make the case for funding with our government and corporate partners. It allows us to build support using solid numbers from a known and accepted impact model," the chairwoman said.
Total provincial tax impacts were estimated at $324,561, while municipal tax impacts were estimated at $91,192.
Staeben said the figures support the message they hand to potential financial backers, from government to corporate partners, that the festival is delivering.
"This is a great way for us to say your investment is paying off," he said.
"We've known for years that Harvest Jazz and Blues has had a tremendous impact on the community. What we've seen from the tourism office is that hotel rooms fill up. We get reports from restaurants that it's their biggest weekend of the year," said city tourism manager David Seabrook.
Convention organizers even pick dates to coincide with the festival to give their delegates an opportunity to catch the festival.
"It has a tremendous impact on the downtown and the rest of the city," he said.
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