RAW:almond has Plan B in case Forks ice doesn't freeze in time
Pop-up restaurant built annually on ice could be forced onto land this year
Organizers of the famed RAW:almond pop-up restaurant in Winnipeg are concerned the ice might not be ready for the attraction next month.
The restaurant and kitchen are housed in a tarp-and-metal-framed building at The Forks and organizers have less than two weeks to decide whether the ice will be stable enough to hold the load.
- RAW:almond river ice restaurant pre-sale tickets sell out within days
- Hundreds line up for tickets to Winnipeg's pop up restaurant, RAW: almond
"We need to get at least two feet of thickness. Last year we had the same kind of worries," said Joe Kalturnyk, a co-organizer with RAW:almond. "We had that cold snap [last year] and we had over three feet of ice. I'm kind of hoping that happens again this year."
Officials at the Forks didn't have a current measurement of the ice's thickness but said there is still open water in the area where the restaurant usually sits.
Kalturnyk said a Plan B is in place should the ice not be thick enough to hold up the restaurant and its guests. They will construct the pop-up on land at the Forks instead.
He said the decision to build on ice or on land will be made on Jan. 11, the last day before crews start assembling the kitchen and restaurant.
"It would be a real shame if we couldn't be on the ice but we're always going to put the event on," Kalturnyk added.
Tickets for RAW:almond sold out on Dec. 13. It opens Jan. 21.