The sign is up and renovations continue inside he new MonGO’s Fresh, Fast Stir Fry set to open at 1350 18th St in Brandon. MonGO’s Fresh is the fast casual version of Mongo’s Grill and the Brandon location will be the very first one, a historic opening of many more to come for the company! Mongo’s Grill has had a very loyal following in the Brandon market for a long time and there have been many requests to bring Mongo’s Grill to Brandon. The new MonGO’s concept, offering the most popular items from Mongo’s Grill, allowed the Mongo’s Grill experience to be brought to a smaller market. (size of the restaurant--sq footage & seating etc.). Having a few less options allows MonGO’s to build and cook the bowls faster. The food will have the exact same delicious taste! Guests will select their ingredients for their custom creation at a totally interactive kiosk or order from the front cashier, and pay there. They may also choose their ingredients using their website on their computer/mobile device. The restaurant will then build it and grill it using the newest grilling technology with the smallest carbon footprint of any grill. This allows the guest to have their stir fry in about 6-10 minutes. While MonGO’s is primarily a fast service and take out concept they will also offer inside dining as well. MonGO’s features the most customizable dining experience in the fast casual restaurant segment.  MonGO’s offers Healthy options with a variety of fresh, locally sourced stir fry meal ingredients. At this time the location will not have the self serve salad bar, but will be offer plenty of options including the ability to make your stir fry a combo meal with spring roils and a self serve drink! Customers will also be able to choose from the delicious “Chef’s Choice” suggestions when ordering for those who are unsure what would taste good in a stir fry. The Brandon location is set to open January 19th 2022 and expects to hire around 20-25 people. They also have a larger room available for meetings, work functions and group celebrations etc.

KJB Industrial Service and the Brandon Boxing Club will be operating a Food Drive. All donations will be donated to Samaritan House in Brandon .Donations are currently being accepted at The Brandon Boxing Club. For company or individual donations please contact Kris Jon Bjarnason 204-841-0438

Hidden Valley RV Park, located 64 miles from Brandon, recently opened their Christmas Tree Trail (2.5 km, approx.) for the season. Follow the hand painted Christmas tree, ornament, and snowflake signs to get to the Christmas tree and lookout bench. Remember to bring an ornament with you to decorate the tree at the end of the trail. The perfect activity for young families or Christmas fans, the 2.5km hike can best be described as quite scenic, not overly challenging with a slight incline at the start. For those more adventurous, there are additional trails on the property including one that takes you to the lake.  This is the second year for the Christmas Tree Trail. Citing some additional free time last winter, ownership told bdnmb.ca they decided to take advantage of the many trails the campground has for their summer campers. They painted some Christmas themed signage on scrap wood on the property and initially thought they might get 50 total people using trail. Word quickly spread and there were days when 50 people would access the trail on a daily basis. The entrance to the trail is located between the main road into the campground and the boat parking. There is no cost to access the trail abut if you would like to make a donation to the Killarney Food Bank you can Etransfer them at contact@killarneyfoodbank.com. For directions to the trail, please click here.

The famously popular MrBeast Burger will soon be available in Brandon, starting December 15. Local food truck owner (Smoked & Sauced, Poutine King) Jayson McCallum told bdnmb.ca he will be operating MrBeast Burgers out of a ghost kitchen inside his new restaurant (Eastside Eatery) on Richmond Avenue. “MrBeast Burger operates out of existing restaurant kitchens, allowing restaurateurs to add a new source of revenue without impacting the operation,” according to the MrBeast website. The concept was first introduced to the world in late 2020 by YouTube giant Jimmy Donaldson, known as Mr. Beast, who now has over 84 million followers. The selection of burgers, named after MrBeasts's closest friends, will only be available via the online platform Door Dash initially with other means of ordering coming shortly thereafter.

Eastside Eatery is opening again under new ownership! Local Chef and restauranteur Jay McCallum, alongside partner Tamara Newman are taking over the Eastside of Brandon, as they re-open Eastside Eatery located at 1451 Richmond Avenue East. Eastside Eatery initially closed during the pandemic and it wasn’t feasible to reopen for the previous owners. Jay and Tamara have been busy revamping the menu and interior of the restaurant. The new menu will include some gluten friendly options, and a carb count will be available in the future for all menu items for customers with diabetes. There will be some old favourites included, and hopefully you’ll find some new favourites as well! Jay has 23 years of kitchen experience under his belt, and has been Head Chef at several popular local restaurants in Brandon since starting his kitchen career. He is well known in Westman for his award winning food trucks Smoked & Sauced and The Poutine King. Watch for doors opening in the upcoming weeks! While there isn’t a firm date in place, they have hopes that The Banquet Hall will be open for events by February. Catering will be available for all types of events, birthday parties, socials, and weddings being just some of the options available. Their team will work with you to make a menu that suits your individual tastes. Inquire about availability via Facebook, emailing smokedandsauced@outlook.com or calling 204-725-5226. Follow @eastsideeatery on Facebook for more information regarding opening dates.