Mike and Jody Bender, owners of the Bender Bar & Grill, will have a pig roast for the grand opening on May 18. (Nikita Ganovicheff/meadowlakeNOW)

By Nikita Ganovicheff

Weekend Roast

Bender Bar & Grill in Goodsoil hosts grand opening Saturday

May 17, 2019 | 5:10 PM

The Bender Bar & Grill in Goodsoil will have its grand opening Saturday and will be celebrating with a pig roast.

“It’s something that not everybody gets to go to all the time so it’s something different,” said co-owner Jody Bender. “It’s different, it’s fun and unique but also it’s delicious.”

The Bender is located on 208 Main St S. in Goodsoil and will be open at 11 a.m. but Jody Bender noted the pig won’t be ready until 4 p.m. The spit will be in a fenced off area in front of the bar and Bender encourages people to stop by and enjoy the food.

Pork on a bun with fries and salad on the side will be the main course and will cost $12. The opening is an adult event as the Benders noted the restaurant isn’t complete yet and minors aren’t allowed entry into the bar.

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Opening a restaurant has been in Jody and Mike Bender’s minds for some time. “We had looked into purchasing this establishment a few years ago actually and things just didn’t work out and so now when the opportunity arose we took the leap,” said Jody Bender.

Mike Bender is a logger and work often takes him away from the family for long periods of time during the winter. “It’s rough work and we have four young children and I also work full time, so for him to be gone so often for logging is not ideal especially with me working and the kids,” said Jody Bender. “So we were always looking at opportunities around the area and we always knew wanted to purchase a business.”

The couple has spent the past few weeks painting and making repairs to the establishment to get it ready for the opening. “We’ve made a lot of changes, not just maintenance not just the aesthetics of it but fixing things that weren’t working,” said Jody Bender.

Jody Bender added there were “a lot of little things” that needed to be done before opening: such as bringing in a debit terminal, an ATM and updating the jukebox.

The Benders hope to create a place with a friendly atmosphere where people can relax all year round. “[It’s] something where people from our community can come and they don’t have to travel to do something fun,” said Jody Bender. “Cold Lake and Meadow Lake are pretty far away for a night out so it’s somewhere where they can go to enjoy a night out and just relax.”

The bar will be open May 18 but the couple is expecting to open the restaurant June 1.

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nikita.ganovicheff@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @Nikitaganov