Sorry we're closed: Miners Village Restaurant closes due to staffing challenges, rising costs

Miners Village restaurant closes A popular restaurant in Glace Bay is closed, and it's unclear when it might reopen due to staffing challenges

GLACE BAY, N.S. — The Miners Village Restaurant has been a staple in Glace Bay, N.S., for locals and tourists alike for decades.

For the last 11 years, it's been managed and maintained by Wilma MacAulay and her husband.

“I loved this place. It was our pride and joy and we loved every minute of it here,” said MacAulay.

But with age and three years of pandemic -plagued struggles, the MacAulay's are calling it quits.

Recently the restaurant struggles have been hard to overcome.

“Staffing was an issue. We tried different staffing, but in the end in the kitchen, we were down to bare bones and we worked really, really hard,” said MacAulay.

Rising costs also didn't help. From heating the place, to propane and food, everything has gone up.

“Well my world just crashed. They've been with me since I got here,” said Mary Pat Mombourquette, the executive director of the Cape Breton Miners Museum.

Mombourquette is now searching for a new operator to run the business and keep the same reliable service customers have become accustomed to.

“I've heard from tourists that they have the best clam chowder on the island here. Everybody raved about it. There are some big shoes to fill for the next people that come and take this place over,” she said.

The history of mining in the community is plastered on the walls of the restaurant and is a big part of the museum experience.

“When I first came, the rest of the village wasn't open. So the only reason to come over was for the restaurant and then when we got the village open it just became part of it,” said Mombourquette.

Despite their recent struggles, the MacAulay's say they wouldn't change a thing.

“I think it's a great opportunity for someone who loves it, but has to know it too. It is a challenge. The first few years are really tough,” said MacAulay.

For now, the restaurant will remain closed, with hopes of having the doors open again in time for the busy tourism season.