New owners of what was once the city's oldest bar face hurdles

Mita Thaker and Surjit Jassal hope getting the word out about Voodoo Wings will help bridge a widening financial gap as they struggle to bring a major part of their new business model, and one of the city's oldest bars, back on line.

The business partners have spent more than two years and an estimated $400,000 trying to meet strict building code requirements that will allow them to secure a liquor license and continue operating the bar in the basement of their Shade Street business, previously known as The Cave.

The delay comes down to a steep stairway to an emergency exit door in the once popular watering hole.

Thaker spent about $5,000 to widen the stair treads to meet current code requirements, but the angle of the stairs is the main problem.

The city wants them to knock out a wall at the base of the stairs so they can make them less steep.

The cost for that work is estimated at around $10,000, an investment that might have been easier to swallow if revenue was coming in from the bar side of the business.  

The couple who sold the building, Jose and Ana Andre, bought the property and opened The Cave in the early '80s.

It quickly became a spot for the Cambridge Portuguese community to come together, have some beers and watch the game.

It was also a popular after-game hot spot for hockey players and fans exiting the Galt Arena Gardens across the road.

Thaker says because the Andres began operating the bar more than 40 years ago, well before current building and fire code requirements were updated to current standards, The Cave was grandfathered in, no questions asked.

Any new owners, however, are responsible for meeting current standards for egress before they can reopen.

The bar has a front entrance down a wide staircase through an enclosed "patio" area. It can also be accessed from the Voodoo Wings side.

But it's not enough.

The city wouldn't comment on where their permit stands, nor were staff able to explain the situation the owners of Voodoo Wings find themselves in.

Thaker says they submitted engineered drawings for the proposed stairway in January and have yet to hear from city building officials if it's a go.

Until then, every day is a struggle, Jassal says, admitting due diligence might have steered them away from purchasing the $700,000 property altogether. 

Other issues came to light soon after they bought it.

They include an encroaching neighbour, a crumbling retaining wall and problem tree growth in the narrow alley at the back of the building, all of which prompted a $4,000 survey that didn't capture the entire property line.

It's been one struggle after another. "Everything is permit, permit, permit," Jassal says, adding he feels like the city isn't being supportive. 

"It's been very stressful," Thaker adds. "It's waiting, waiting, waiting. I'm not billionaire people."

But the location, directly across the street from Galt Arena Gardens and the gateway to Soper Park, was hard to resist.

Jassal says they've modernized everything in the building, including the electrical, air conditioning and the commercial kitchen where Thaker can be found most days serving up jumbo wings, fries, poutine and other menu items that get to the majority of their customers through delivery.

Those delivery services, Skip the Dishes and Uber Eats, by the way, take a 30 per cent cut of their business, she says. 

She hopes once word gets out, they'll see more people inside filling seats or calling in directly with their orders. 

Jassal is no stranger to the spicy chicken wing game. The former owner of The Wingery in Burlington and Guelph is eager to see Voodoo Wings take off like his previous ventures did.

Others may recognize him as popular Punjabi singer Surjit Sagar, whose YouTube videos have garnered thousands of views.

The artist and painter is eager to make a go of the business so he can support the community like he's done through his other businesses.

Getting the bar open is their top priority. They're reminded every day how popular it was.

Thaker says since Voodoo Wings opened at the end of January, anywhere from 10 to 20 people a week have come in asking when they can sit down, eat wings and have a beer. 

Hopefully by summer the basement space and patio will be full of people enjoying hot wings and cool beer, she says.

Asked what they plan to rename the old watering hole, Thaker says the top contender so far is the Shade Street Bar and Grill.