An old Arcola favourite has new owners. And although Heather Williamson (21) and Scott Tessier (24), have some exciting changes planned for The Chaparral Restaurant and Lounge, Scott says the couple want the Chaparral to remain a gathering place for the community, as it was with previous owners Melvin and Frances Spry, who owned the popular dining spot for nearly a decade.
"I've kind of had running a restaurant or a bar or both in mind for quite a long time. This just seemed like the right time," says Scott. "But I wouldn't have gone anywhere else to do it. I really like Arcola, and anything that can help our town is a good thing."
Although Scott was raised in Arcola, Heather is a relative newcomer.
"I'm a dual citizen. I'm from Bellingham, Washington and I came up here three years ago. I never really got to explore my Canadian roots. Ever since I came to Canada, I've managed or worked in all parts of the business," she says. "I've been a server, I've managed the bar and I've done a bit of cooking."
Heather credits her partner Scott for encouraging her to become an entrepreneur.
"Scott's a full-time battery operator. With me, working in the business, owning a restaurant never really seemed like an attainable dream. But I was encouraged by Scott and now, I am definitely excited by this opportunity."
The couple plan to retain almost all of the Chap's menu choices, but Heather says she is planning to add some new dishes as well.
"We'd like to develop a menu that everyone should be happy with, a few new menu items added to a lot of the same favourites."
While working for the previous owner, Heather learned the bar business, "alongside Mel."
"I really liked the pace of the bar," she says. "The fast pace of the bar, the music, meeting people. I'd eventually like to install a jukebox as well as someday have live music. I'd like [the bar] to be a fun place to go, a busy place. An advantage that we have right now is that we're a young couple in a young and growing community. Everyone is welcome, but we can cater to our younger customers and listen to what they want."
Two new ideas in the works are a Chaparral website and eventual plans for customers to text in their orders, if they wish. And although the name will remain the same, the business has a new green and gold logo.
"I have a lot of fun concocting drinks and experimenting," says Heather. "Someday, I'd like to feature a drink of the week . . . and that's the kind of thing we'd feature on our website. The website would be a resource for our customers to use, so they could see what we have planned and what's going on at The Chaparral at any given time."
Eventually, the couple would also like to open the Chaparral seven days a week, with expanded bar hours.
"Ideally, we would like to stay open long weekends and holidays, with longer hours," says Heather. "But that would mean additional staff and as anyone around here knows, it's not easy to get staff right now."
Scott and Heather are currently hard at work planning The Chaparral's grand re-opening, joking that their 10-month-old son, Harrison, will be the restaurant's mascot. Plans are not yet finalized, but Heather says, "We definitely plan on opening week specials. We'll have some new menu items and some good deals. We plan to get re-aquainted with our regular customers and hopefully, meet lots of new people."
"I appreciate and have a passion for my job," she continues. "I'm looking forward to getting to know the people coming through the doors. That's what's keeping us running and we're excited."
