Mon Ami Louis, a WOW Hospitality restaurant, got the nod from Winnipeg's downtown development committee Thursday to take over the vacant Esplanade Riel space for a new restaurant.

Committee chair Brian Mayes says city staff picked Mon Amis Louis over seven other bidders.

He says financially it was a better deal for the city: the restaurant wasn't looking for a subsidy, was willing to pay the property taxes and will even put some money into the building.

But he says money wasn't the only thing Mon Ami Louis had going for it.

"French-themed service, menu, trying to reach out to the Franco-Manitoban community so I think those two things brought them in number one on the staff recommendation," he said.

Mayes says Mon Ami Louis will be a seasonal eatery, and plans to be open from May 1 to September 30.

Mayes says right now, the goal is to open in a couple of months.

"They're hoping to get up and running by mid-July and we're hoping they do...it's a landmark now in Winnipeg so we got to have that up and running," he said.

Mayes says when the restaurant is empty, it costs the city $60,000 a year.

He says the agreement with WOW means the city will make that back, plus about another $40,000

Mon Ami Louis will be open for brunch, lunch and dinner during the summer and the location will operate as an event centre available for rentals for the remainder of the year, the city said.

City administrators recommended a five-year lease agreement with WOW to operate the seasonal full-service restaurant and cafe inside the spaceship-looking structure on the pedestrian bridge, which connects the city's downtown with the St. Boniface neighbourhood.

It's the third business to try to make a go of the location, since Chez Sophie shut down in February.

WOW Hospitality, which has a number of other restaurants in Winnipeg, including 529 Wellington, 295 York, Peasant Cookery, and Muddy Waters Smokehouse, plans to invest $100,000 in "tenant improvements."