Renovated players' area and new restaurant at The Aud to be pitched to Kitchener city councillors

The Kitchener Rangers want to make some changes to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex and if that work gets approved, city staff want to piggyback on the renovations to build a restaurant there, too.

A report going before Kitchener city council on Monday's community and infrastructure services committee says the Rangers hockey team wants to improve the players' dressing room area, business office and the room used by media and scouts. The renovations would be fully funded by the team.

It would see the Rangers relocate the majority of their offices to the third floor of the building, expand player amenities "to continue to attract top talent" and relocate the media and scout room to the space that would go beside the proposed restaurant in a room currently called the Subscriber's Lounge.

"This request from The Kitchener Ranges creates a unique opportunity for the city to take advantage of the planned construction work to create a new restaurant at The Aud," the staff report says, noting a restaurant would be an "attractive new amenity" that would "position the complex as a more attractive destination for large scale sports and e-sports events as well as concerts."

The complex, often referred to in the community as simply The Aud, opened in May 1951 and its last major renovation was in 2012, also through a partnership between the Rangers and the city.

Restaurant could become a destination

Allyson Samms is manager of The Aud and says they see a lot of benefits to updating the space.

She noted when players are being recruited by the Kitchener Rangers, they come to tour the facility and the city.

"What are they going to do off the ice, where are they going to hang out, what are they going to be offered? They take that into account," she told CBC News.

"We're hoping that the restaurant, maybe there would be regular operating hours, maybe it is a destination that would be available outside our special events … It's going to allow us to hopefully recruit some new events."

The staff report says The Aud is in "good condition" currently and there are "no immediate facility or maintenance-related issues that would require it to be closed in the short or medium term."

But, the staff report adds, "just like every other city facility, The Aud will require ongoing maintenance and future investments to maintain that condition going forward."

The city would expect to spend $2 million to create the restaurant, of which $575,000 would come from the tax base. Other funding would come from a reserve fund from ticket sales at The Aud as well as the municipal accommodation tax.

The report says a revenue projection shows if the restaurant is open for 100 days or nights in a year, there would be enough revenue generated to pay back the tax base within seven years.

"It is important to note the restaurant has potential to earn higher revenue through private event rentals or expanding operations beyond 100 days, which would shorten that payback period," the report says.

Monday's community and infrastructure services committee meeting is scheduled to begin in council chambers at 2:30 p.m.