Whitehorse Daily Star

Yukon Gravy Train is on track for Takhini Arena lease

Yukon Gravy Train has pulled into the Takhini Arena.

By Stephanie Waddell on November 13, 2018

Yukon Gravy Train has pulled into the Takhini Arena.

And the city could soon formalize its agreement with the company.

It’s already well-known for serving up specialty burgers, hot dogs, fries, poutine and other tasty grub through the summer at numerous events around the territory, from its food truck as well as at the rink during the winter.

Coaches, hockey players, skaters and those taking in the many ice sports at the rink have enjoyed the offerings of the Gravy Train for a number of seasons. The lease for the concession had been held by the Whitehorse Minor Hockey Association, which opted to end the deal last July.

The city then sought expressions of interest for a new lease holder for the space, with the only submission coming from Yukon Gravy Train. Its proposal met all the requirements, and the lease was drawn up.

If the lease is approved, it would be for a period of nearly three years ending Sept. 30, 2021. There would also be a provision to allow for three one-year extensions to the lease following the initial three-year term.

The Gravy Train would pay $375 each month from Oct. 1 to March 31 for the space.

For special events only between April 1 and Sept. 30, the city would receive 10 per cent of the gross sales made at the concession.

Answering questions from a number of council members at their Nov. 5 meeting, Krista Mroz, the city’s manager of recreation and facility services, said the lease is very similar to the previous agreement, with some wording changes.

Before asking about the wording of the lease, Coun. Steve Roddick noted his own “fond memories” of the fries at the Takhini Arena.

He said he’s pleased to see the lease come forward in time for some of the big events set for the arena, including the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in May 2019.

Council will vote on the first readings of the bylaw for the formal lease this evening.

While the formal agreement has yet to be passed, the Gravy Train operating out of the rink opened in late October.

Comments (4)

Up 2 Down 3

Hugh Mungus on Nov 15, 2018 at 6:21 pm

@ AllAboard
Newsflash. ‘YTG’ hasn’t been a thing for the past 15-20 years or so. If you’re gonna crack a joke at least try to be up to speed with this millenium.

Up 6 Down 5

AllAboard-ticketsPlease on Nov 15, 2018 at 9:43 am

YGT ? Yukon Gravy Train ? Some serious sub-editing required at the Star these days. That should be YTG, as in Yukon Territorial Govt . Oh wait ..... same thing entirely. My mistake .

Up 9 Down 3

Donovan McGlaughlin on Nov 15, 2018 at 7:17 am

@PSG "Also great is their name 'The Gravy Train' as it's what almost the entire Yukon economy is based on."
That's what I thought the article was about by the headline......LOL

Up 14 Down 4

ProScience Greenie on Nov 14, 2018 at 12:26 pm

Good for them and I'm looking forward to some yummy poutine. Also great is their name 'The Gravy Train' as it's what almost the entire Yukon economy is based on.

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