After a long day’s work at the Co-op gas station & convenience store, Andrea Hurdman and Trisha Nykiforuk-racette like to head down the street to the Milestone Hotel Bar & Grill, a building older and taller than the others in the area.
Hurdman enjoys their buffalo wings, while Nykiforuk-racette regularly orders a cheeseburger and fries.
Something about the brown three-storey building also draws in visitors from the city. The building, a relic of the 19th century and the oldest one in the town according to locals, provides its own sort of appeal as a harkening back to a time before busy streets and city lights took over our lives.
Labeled only “Cafe” and “Restaurant” and with some visible deterioration on its walls, it is nonetheless a vibrant and lively place, with people regularly coming in and out of its doors. This building is brand-new to visitors from the city, but in the quiet town of Milestone this brown building is a mainstay for the locals.
“Great service, really friendly staff, and their butter chicken is to die for,” said Charlene Parker, another employee of the gas station.
“Their steak nights are amazing,” said Hurdman. “Kayy really holds the place together, we all love him.”
She’s referring to Kayy Thind, the man who has been running the Milestone Hotel Bar & Grill since its inception in 2020. He insists on not being called a manager or owner, but rather “just the guy who runs the place.”
Thind immigrated to Canada from India several years ago, earning a two-year diploma in hospitality management from Fanshawe College in London, Ont. He started his career there with a few different corporations but found the environment unwelcoming.
“I lived there for years and didn’t even know who my neighbor was,” he said.
He was additionally “targeted for racial profiling, which was not good.” Unhappy with his situation and surroundings, he decided that he needed to “change it up.”
Family and friends in Saskatchewan came to his aid by telling him about the opportunities and connections the Prairies provided, so he left Ontario for the small town of Milestone. Having not heard of the town previously, he had his doubts.
“They say in East Canada that places in West Canada are, you know, bad for racial profiling, but the people here have been very friendly,” said Thind. Upon arrival he was greeted with open arms and welcomed by the locals. On July 6, 2020, a few months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he took over the bar and completely reinvented it as the Milestone Hotel Bar & Grill.
Thind’s Indian-Canadian background is an advantage, as the restaurant serves a variety of different meals. By mixing typical Western cuisine with traditional Indian food, Thind keeps the menu fresh and unique. Whether a patron is looking for fries or a samosa, the restaurant caters to a variety of diverse palates.
The Bar & Grill is an important part of the community. All of the locals are familiar with it and it is a great place for visitors from out of town to experience Milestone culture. One of its most important functions is serving as the town’s only night-time bar.
“This town was in sheer need of a bar,” said Thind. “Before people had to go all the way to Regina or Wilcox. If they go to Wilcox and get drunk then they are in trouble, because there is no bus service or public transport to get them back. The other restaurant in town, Mary’s Place, closes at eight, so we’re the only ones open late night for parties and events and stuff.”
According to local lore, the building has had a storied past. In the early 20th century, notorious American gangster Al Capone frequented it during his criminal expansion into Canada. In the 1960s, a Halloween stunt on the building’s third floor went wrong, leading to the community believing it to be haunted.
Shortly after, the building was set on fire by the townspeople, forcing a pregnant woman staying on the third floor to jump out. It is unknown if she survived.
In spite of this past, the building is now a cherished part of the community.
“Milestone wouldn’t be the same without it,” said Hurdman.
Thind has big plans for the future. The hotel part of the Milestone Hotel Bar & Grill has been closed for renovations but will be opening in a few weeks. When the rooms open for guests again, they will cater to a variety of visitors, particularly construction workers from across Saskatchewan. Now that the COVID-19 pandemic is nearing its end, the business will continue to grow and expand with more staff, new menu items and improvements to its welcoming and vibrant atmosphere.