WOW Hospitality
WOW HOSPITALITY LAUNCHES 529 UPTOWN BY JENNIFER MCFEE
A trio of new busi- nesses is taking a bite out of the food and beverage scene at Winnipeg’s most iconic corner. In early March, a bistro and lounge called 529 Uptown opened its doors on the main floor of 201 Portage Ave. as a sister concept to the fine-dining steakhouse 529 Wellington. The grand opening also celebrated the launch of 529 Burger and 529 Coffee in the same high-rise building. All three businesses fall under the umbrella of WOW Hospitality Concepts, which bolsters Winnipeg’s culinary scene with other notable restaurants including Peasant Cookery, Prairie’s Edge, Alena
Rustic Italian and Bluestone Cottage. Doug Stephen, president and CEO of WOW Hospitality, says the concept of 529 Uptown simmered for more than three years in the planning stage. “From the original discussions I had with Harvard Developments, the owners of the building at 201 Portage, we were waiting until people were coming back downtown because so many people were working from home during COVID,” he says. “The owner of the building was kind enough to allow us to wait until that happened. When they got up to around 82 per cent occupancy and it wasn’t just hybrid, that’s when we decided to push forward.”
8 SAVOUR MANITOBA | SPRING 24
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