For this True North Tale, I sat down with another amazing northern business owner, This time one of the owners of The Dancing Moose Cafe & Bayside Bed & Breakfast Debra Doody. She told me how She and Her husband John came to The North
“First, we lived in Baker Lake, Nunavut for about a year. My husband had an interview and got a job in Yellowknife so we drove up from Ontario and been here ever since.”
After purchasing the then Mary’s Tea Room & Bayside Bed & Breakfast Debbie and John spent the next four years renovating the cafe into what it looks like today.
“We bought it in 2007 when were still working at other places I was at the legislative assembly doing their catering contract. After four years I started working full time at The Dancing Moose and we opened in 2011 so we renovated before that, we connected the upstairs bed and breakfast to the cafe below so we built a front foyer so that people wouldn’t have to go outside in forty below. When we opened it was basically a stampede and we haven’t really looked back”
Even after working with some of the nicest hotels in the south, Debbie tells me nothing compares to the connections She makes with Her customers every day.
“Oh Definitely ya, we have sort of a semi-open-concept kitchen so I can see the customers coming in and I’m often waving and saying hello to people and it’s a good community connection that way. We have some very regular regulars that come in and you become friends with them”
Since the start of the pandemic Debbie has found a new, successful branch of Her business
“I really love making fancy cakes so I put out some pictures with a description and prices (on social media) and I generated quite a bit of interest so it was very successful that way and about once a month I put out another ad for a featured cake”
If you haven’t had the chance to try it yet Debbie let’s us know where you can find The Dancing Moose Cafe & Bayside Bed & Breakfast
we are in Old Town at 3505 Mcdonald Drive just before you get to the bridge and the phone number is 669-8844
-Debra Doody, Owner of The dancing Moose Cafe & Bayside Bed & Breakfast
