Owners of scorched eatery eye October opening

Seekers of the long-lost Snackburger rejoice: The Snack will soon rise again.

Co-owner Nelson Soucy said Tuesday he's hoping the third edition of Iqaluit's greasy-spoon diner will open Oct. 1.

"The menu's going to be exactly the same, the employees you're going to see most of them probably all (come back)," he said. "We're conscious that people want The Snack back."

The new building is coming up on sealift in August or September, in prefabricated sections that will be assembled on site.

The Snack burned to the ground in a spectacular early-morning fire in January leaving behind a mangled pile of debris and ice. The first Snack location, on the lot where the Nova Hotel now stands, also burned down in 1994.

Soucy said the new Snack is going to look similar to the former building, with a few key exceptions. In order to comply with city streetscape rules, the parking lot will sit on the building's side. There will be higher ceilings and better wheelchair access and bathrooms.

As for colours, and The Snack's well-known heart-shaped logo, Soucy said he didn't have details yet. But he said architect Ambrose Livingstone has been working with the builders to ensure everything is up to code.

And Soucy vowed The Snack's fleet of delivery vehicles will be back too, delivering the fixes for late-night attacks of the munchies.

"We've got seven trucks ready to go, we've got all the drivers down south ready to come back," he said. "This is going to be something else."

Soucy said he hopes to see debris from the January fire removed within the next month.