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Rudy\u2019s is staffing up. It\u2019s not alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m kind of equating it to \u2026 an extended (Winnipeg) Jets rush,\u201d said Mackenzie Robb, general manager of Rudy\u2019s at 373 Graham Ave.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s worked with the CFL Players\u2019 Association over the past half-year. This weekend, the downtown Winnipeg restaurant is acting as the CFLPA\u2019s headquarters in the lead-up to the 112th Grey Cup.<\/p>\n
Autograph signings and pictures with players and the championship trophy are on the schedule. A group of 60 people who follow the Grey Cup landed in Rudy\u2019s on Thursday, Robb said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice to see some new faces,\u201d she added. \u201cLots of people from out of town.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other restaurateurs in downtown Winnipeg echoed Robb. Grey Cup events began in the city\u2019s core on Nov. 9. There have been street festivals, concerts and socials.<\/p>\n
RBC Convention Centre leadership expect to see more than 20,000 Grey Cup fans through the weekend. They hired an extra 200 to 300 people to cover this weekend\u2019s events. The centre is the official headquarters of Grey Cup festivities.<\/p>\n
Justin Guest has clocked traffic from Hamilton, Calgary and Edmonton in Browns Socialhouse Portage \u2014 Canadians whose home teams aren\u2019t represented during Sunday\u2019s game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs (this) a typical endeavour? No, because we\u2019re seeing such a large fan base nationally,\u201d said Guest, who owns the Browns across from the Canada Life Centre.<\/p>\n
Events downtown are common, Guest said. Browns is operating as it would during a Jets home NHL game or a concert. Forty to 60 staff might work the restaurant at a given time.<\/p>\n
Employees are briefed daily about Grey Cup events and other Winnipeg happenings in case a customer asks, Guest said: \u201cIt\u2019s kind of nice to see an opportunity for us to (show-off).\u201d<\/p>\n
The Manitoba Hotel Association estimates more than 5,000 Winnipeg rooms \u2014 of approximately 8,000 \u2014 are rented due to the Grey Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cMid-November usually is a decent month for hotels in Winnipeg,\u201d said Michael Juce, the association\u2019s president. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is really going to help put us over the top.\u201d<\/p>\n
Conference-goers and tourists preparing for a polar bear-filled trip to Churchill usually take hotel space this month. That hasn\u2019t changed, Juce said.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS Mackenzie Robb, general manager of Rudy’s Eat & Drink. The restaurant at 375 Graham Avenue has partnered with the CFL on some events leading up to the Grey Cup. Reporter: Gabrielle Piche 251114 – Friday, November 14, 2025.<\/p>\n Last week, 2,500 people attended a College of Family Physicians conference at the RBC Convention Centre.<\/p>\n Princess Auto Stadium can fit upwards of 32,000 fans. The goal is to draw out-of-towners back, said Natalie Thiesen, Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism\u2019s vice-president of tourism.<\/p>\n The economic development agency is running a Grey Cup weekend visitor booth and activity zone in the RBC Convention Centre.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people come and experience our city \u2026 they\u2019re surprised and impressed,\u201d Thiesen said. \u201cWe want people to leave with an incredibly positive experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Major events spark local pride, which is also important, Thiesen said.<\/p>\n Grey Cup weekend coincides with the Santa Claus parade (today) and a Brad Paisley country music concert (Friday) at the downtown Canada Life Centre.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t \u201cIt just helps us sell our city as a whole,\u201d said Drew Fisher, RBC Convention Centre president.<\/p>\n The provincial government, at the time led by the Progressive Conservatives, tabbed $5.5 million in 2022 to support a Grey Cup bid for 2024 or 2025. It projected then \u2014 and now \u2014 provincial tax revenue from the event could hit $8.2 million.<\/p>\n Vancouver hosted the Grey Cup last year, and noted a $121.9 million economic impact, the CFL announced in April. <\/p>\n Winnipeg has hosted the Grey Cup in four prior years: 1991, 1998, 2006 and 2015.<\/p>\n gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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