The Bannock Shack
traditional Aboriginal restaurant in north central Regina
by Jenn Ruddy
When Joseph Crane was 16 years old, he was getting into trouble with the law.
From stealing cars to break and enters, Crane had never worked a day in his life.
But that was before Louis Kenny, a former economic development advisor and member of the Ochapawace First Nation, decided to take a chance on Crane.
Kenny, who owns five businesses, hired Crane to work at his Confectionery in Fort Qu'Appelle. Today, at 25 years old, Crane is still working for Kenny and hasn't been in trouble since.
"A lot of these young kids just need a chance," Kenny says. "A lot of these young kids that are in trouble with the law. If they just had an opportunity to work, probably a lot of them wouldn't be getting into trouble."
So far, Kenny's theory has proven true.
The majority of the employees who work at Kenny's latest venture, The Bannock Shack, used to be on social assistance. And the majority of them are young kids, who have learned to stay out of trouble.
"People can come and not only have a meal but hear what's going on in the community." - Louis Kenny, owner of the Bannock Shack
That's exactly what Kenny loves most about business - "Not only being able to make a living for me and my family but also helping other people make a living for themselves," he says.
The Bannock Shack, located in Regina's inner-city neighbourhood, is Kenny's fifth business. He owns a telephone reconnection service, Katepwa Insurance, a Confectionery at Fort Qu'Appelle a tire shop on Ochapawace and the Bannock Shack - a restaurant that offers traditional Canadian Aboriginal foods.
Like the name suggests, the restaurant's most popular item on the menu is take-out bannock - unleavened flatbread that has served as a staple of the Aboriginal diet for centuries. Other traditional Aboriginal foods include bullet (burger) soup, bannock burgers and Indian tacos.
When Kenny first opened the Bannock Shack in November of last year, he hadn't expected it to be as popular as it is today. In fact, the restaurant is so popular that it has since moved from its original 30-seat eatery to one that can hold about 100 people. Sales average $1,000 a day. And take-out bannock generates about half of his revenue.
"Nowadays not too many people cook bannock at home," Kenny says. "People are either too busy or some don't know how anymore."
Instead, many people stop by Kenny's restaurant on their way home from work, he says.
And during the lunch hour, when the Bannock Shack is hosting one of its "Power Lunches," the restaurant can get so busy that there's standing room only.
A "Power Lunch" is held once a week over the noon-hour and features a speaker who presents workshops or lectures on First Nations issues. These "Power Lunches," as Kenny calls them, have featured FSIN Vice-Chief Guy Lonechild, a workshop on diabetes and a presentation on the First Nations University of Canada.
"People can come and not only have a meal but hear what's going on in the community," says Kenny, who believes the Bannock Shack is bridging Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities.
According to Kenny, half of his clients are non-First Nations, which admittedly surprises him. When he first opened the restaurant in the "hood," as locals affectionately call it, Kenny thought his target audience would be First Nations people.
"I soon learned that not only First Nations like bannock but a lot of non-First Nations," he says. "It's been good. I really enjoy the area."
But the Bannock Shack isn't just a restaurant to those living in the neighbourhood. Kenny prides himself on what the Bannock Shack has been able to do for the community.
At the end of every day, the restaurant will give free bannock and soup to the North Central Family Centre to feed disadvantaged children and to homeless people in the area. "Instead of throwing out the bannock and the soup, we make use of it," Kenny says. 'We try to give it to whoever needs it."
The restaurant has also raised about $2,000 for the search for Tamara Keepness, the missing Regina girl, and when volunteers first started searching for Keepness, the Bannock Shack provided them with food.
Asked if Kenny enjoys what he does, he replies without hesitation: "I love it."
Kenny hopes more First Nations people will become entrepreneurs and in particular, in north central Regina.
"That's what I'd like to see right along this strip," he says, pointing down Fifth Street, "all First Nations businesses."
Following in Kenny's footsteps, Crane, too, has visions of opening his own business. The 25-year-old says someday he'd like to own his own mechanic shop.
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