Vancouver Island pub goes viral for Maple Leafs fan surcharge, themed poutine
Even here on the other side of the country, there's no greater polarizing hockey team than the Toronto Maple Leafs.
There are Leafs fans, and Leafs haters, and in one pub in Sooke, B.C., they get along famously. Despite the pub, 17 Mile House, being nestled in the heart of Canuck country, everybody here is a Leafs fan, or a Habs fan.
A Habs fan owns the place.
"I was born in Montreal," said Ken Whitaker, managing partner of 17 Mile House.
And while lots of Leafs fans drink here, they pay more than others.
There's a Leafs fan surcharge at 17 Mile House. It's an extra two per cent tax on the bill that's tongue-in-cheek, but also very real.
It's something that Leafs fans say is easy to swallow.
"I don't mind paying it," said one customer on Tuesday.
"I just take it out of the server's tip," said another.
One menu item is also aimed directly at Toronto fans, the Maple Leafs Poutine.
"A cold, overpriced dish served with underperforming gravy, ice cold fries, and a side of disappointment," said Whitaker, the pub owner.
And the poutine is priced at the historical total of $67 dollars, the same year that the Toronto Maple Leafs last won a Stanley Cup in 1967.
The poutine itself has gone viral after it was recently referenced in a social media post by hockey podcast, Spittin Chiclets.
With the post spreading like wildfire, the Sooke pub says it's been receiving both positive and negative feedback. But either way, staff take it all in stride.
"We get crazy messages. We get notes left, you get one star ratings on our google review from people from Toronto who have never been here," said Whitaker.
The only thing that will get the Maple Leafs Poutine taken off the menu is if they win a Stanley Cup.
"I'm really not too worried about it. They'll come close but let's be honest, they won't pull it off," said Whitaker.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Toronto eliminated from PWHL playoffs
Toronto has been eliminated from the PWHL playoffs.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.