It hasn鈥檛 taken long for Mr. Mike鈥檚 Steakhouse Casual to establish itself as a valuable restaurant for Estevan.
The business, located adjacent to Kensington Avenue in northeast Estevan, opened last June and quickly became a popular spot for its quality food, excellent service and overall dining experience About 55 people work at the restaurant.
Even though it鈥檚 been open for just nine months, voters in Estevan Mercury Publications鈥� Readers Choice Best of Estevan Awards competition selected Mr. Mike鈥檚 for having Estevan鈥檚 best steak and best seafood.
John Murray, the general manager for the restaurant, is very proud that Mr. Mike鈥檚 was able to win two Best of Estevan awards. He鈥檚 particularly grateful for the staff.
鈥淭he employees that work inside this building give their all every single shift,鈥� said Murray.
The first nine months have been a fantastic experience.
鈥淓verything is great here,鈥� said Murray. 鈥淭he community is amazing, the city is special and everything is going great for us.鈥�
Prior to coming to Estevan, Murray said he did a lot of research on the city, and based on that the information, he knew Estevan would be a great city to come to. Estevan has been everything that he expected.
鈥淢eeting more people in the community, I would say it has absolutely exceeded my expectations, because the people are great here,鈥� said Murray.
He has met a lot of people through the city鈥檚 service groups and through the restaurant鈥檚 Gratitude Tuesdays.
Each Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., $5 from the sale of each steak at Mr. Mike鈥檚 is directed to a local organization. Groups ranging from the Estevan Girl Guides to the Estevan Kinsmen Club, and from Habitat for Humanity to the Estevan Comprehensive School senior girls鈥� basketball team for their recent Shoot for a Cure tournament have benefitted from Gratitude Tuesdays.
All of the Gratitude Tuesday slots for this year have already been booked, so Mr. Mike鈥檚 is booking into next year.
鈥淥n the days that they鈥檙e here, there鈥檚 a 50-50 draw and a grand prize draw, so most groups make about $1,000 each night from their Gratitude Tuesday towards their charity and their cause,鈥� said Murray.
The support for Gratitude Tuesdays has been particularly impressive, he said.
Mr. Mike鈥檚 has also stepped forward with support for the Power Dodge Estevan Bruins, the Dustin Pratt Memorial Golf tournament, and cultural events.
The Estevan location has the highest guest satisfaction rating of all the Mr. Mike鈥檚 locations within the company, which has 39 restaurants across B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, and Murray believes the indicators for the Estevan restaurant are pointing in the right direction.
鈥淚 am merely a conductor,鈥� said Murray. 鈥淭his staff is the action, and they do a great job.鈥�
