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Cilantro and Chive excited to open second location

New spot will open early in 2021 and is located near Westerner Park
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Cilantro and Chive Owner Rieley Kay is set to open a second location, this time in Red Deer. (Todd Colin Vaughan/Lacombe Express)

Fans of Lacombe’s Cilantro and Chive restaurant can expect the same service, at a brand new location starting early in 2021.

The popular restaurant made the announcement over the weekend on social media, that they would be adding a new location in Red Deer.

Owner Riley Kay said Tuesday that he was thrilled to release the news to the public and has already been overwhelmed with the positive feedback.

“We’ve been looking at possible expansion for years, always making sure it’s the right fit and the right move for us. We’ve looked at a lot of properties over the years and we just weren’t quite ready at that point, or the property wasn’t quite ready,” he said.

“This property came up and we took a hard look and it happened rather quickly.”

Kay said they’ve come a long way since they started Cilantro Catering back in 2009, which eventually led to them opening a store in Ponoka and then moving to Lacombe in 2015.

They have leased a new location at 1927 50th Ave., just north of Westerner Park, a spot that has been the home to several restaurants in the past.

“It’s a much bigger space than what we were anticipating or what we were ever looking at. Right now, with COVID measures and physical distancing, it plays really well into ensuring that guest safety and team safety is there,” he said.

The restaurant will be hiring between 50 to 75 people over the next three to four months as they get ready to open, along with fixing a few cosmetic details inside the restaurant space.

He said they plan on bringing a few traditions along from Lacombe and also hope to expand their craft beer menu.

Kay said they’re going to do their best to make the location in Red Deer a must-stop spot, much like they’ve become in Lacombe.

“The initial stages, we’ll definitely have a similar menu to what we operate with in Lacombe. We will have new guest chefs for our burger of the month in Red Deer and Lacombe, that will be kind of fun,” Kay said.

“Down the road, we might transition to a few different drinks and eats that are specific to each location and to the geographical region around us. Some of the local supplies and producers.”



Byron Hackett

About the Author: Byron Hackett

Byron has been the sports reporter at the advocate since December of 2016. He likes to spend his time in cold hockey arenas accompanied by luke warm, watered down coffee.
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