The loss of a landmark business in town has allowed another longstanding business to expand.
The Royal Coachman pub and restaurant was a fixture on Dogwood Street for 40 years before closing in 2018. For the last few years it has been up for sale with no takers until recently when McDonald’s Restaurants purchased it as a site for the city’s fourth McDonald’s location which will be operated by local franchise owners Jens and Mary Rolinski.
READ MORE: Royal Coachman to close after 40 years
The purchase brought a five-year search for a property with a big enough footprint to a close, Jens Rolinski said.
“We need a big footprint, right?” Rolinski said. “To get the stacking distance for the drive-through and things like that, you need to have enough distance.
“And that property was one of the only ones around at this time to find.”
Rolinski said they searched everywhere for an appropriate site including Willow Point but its difficult to find a property with enough room. And that’s not just a Campbell River problem, it’s the same in larger cities as well.
The McDonald’s corporation bought the property and the plan is to open the new restaurant “some time in 2023,” Rolinski said. Rolinski doesn’t want to declare a opening date because developments are so reliant on supply chains these days and construction industry staffing challenges. The builder involved, Kinetic, is a large operator and “pretty organized” so Rolinksi expects things to go smoothly but he didn’t want to name a date.
The plan is to build a store similar to the original downtown location with a dual lane drive-through with delivery. The technology of the new store will see a big update.
“Our business is very technology based,” Rolinski said. “The system is different … The new stores have a total different look inside and the whole service platform looks so different.”
Besides the new Campbell River store opening, McDonald’s will be opening a new store in Port Hardy this year too. And, in addition, the original Campbell River store on 16th Avenue will be renovated next year.
Meanwhile, the Royal Coachman won’t completely disappear. Much of the signage has been salvaged with some being given to people and some of being used for fundraising raffles.
“I’ve got cups and signs and all kinds of stuff kicking around in my garage,” Rolinski said.
The future of the Royal Coachman was the subject of some debate in social media circles with rumours of the replacement of the building by a McDonald’s Restaurant circulating last year. As is always the case with social media, the discussions were not always positive or pleasant but business is business and the Royal Coachman’s life as a pub ended five years ago and no other buyer came forward.
The Mirror attempted to contact the former owners of the Royal Coachman without success.
Meanwhile, the Rolinskis anticipate opening a business on the site that will employ 80 people and allow the franchise to continue to be active in the community
“I think we can give 80 more jobs and I said we can support the community more in more areas. That to me is a win,” Rolinski said.
@AlstrT
editor@campbellrivermirror.com
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