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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.