IQALUIT
When asked why he decided to open a southern-style barbecue joint in the Canadian Arctic, Matt Wilkins just chuckles, "I like meat."

One of Iqaluit's newest eateries, Big Racks BBQ recently celebrated its first month in business after a hectic soft opening in early December. Wilkins said following the initial launch, they shut down for a few days to iron out some logistical problems and things have been running smoothly since.

"We opened for three days and we were absolutely slammed," he told Nunavut News/North. "Then we shut down for a few days to rearrange the kitchen. We found some equipment worked better in different spots."

Although small in size, the venue offers a large menu, which Wilkins says some have found intimidating. Featuring fare for every palate from ribs to salad, fish, pizza, subs and macaroni, it can be a little overwhelming. But Wilkins says every item gets sold on a daily basis.

"We've had a couple people say your menu is too big," he said. "But everything on it sells pretty much every day, right down to our salads, all our sides - everything."

Residents can expect it to continue to grow over the next year, he said, as breakfast items are introduced along with a traditional spin on current offerings including caribou donairs, muskox burgers and bison ribs, which will be rolled out as weekly specials.

"We have a bunch of muskox and caribou on order now and we're going to be experimenting," he explained. "Unfortunately we have not had enough cooks come in yet to open our breakfast menu ... we're hoping for March to be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

Delivery and take-out are offered because the dining area in the re-purposed house is relatively limited with just four tables. Wilkins said he originally wanted to open a pub, but it wasn't feasible in the current space.

He said an expansion is slated down the road and at that time he will revisit the idea of getting a liquor licence.

"The space wasn't big enough to have the volume of people for alcohol and food, so we opted just for food," he said.

"I don't really want to tie up the tables with someone having a beer when a family is trying to come in and eat, but in future I hope we can expand."

Currently the restaurant employs 16 staff with the majority from Iqaluit - two cooks came from the south. Wilkins said he made local hiring a priority and will continue to do so as he looks for more staff and

drivers this spring.

"We didn't want to be like everyone else and hire all down south staff to come up here," he said.

"We've tried to staff our whole operation that way."

Despite the high costs of shipping and food in the territory, Wilkins said he was prepared for it and does not expect it to affect his business. Any of the other challenges he has faced getting the restaurant off the ground would be applicable no matter where he is, he said.

"Lots of our stuff comes from down south and we fly a lot of our product in, so it might cost us a couple extra bucks to get something up here, but that's just what it is," he said.

"I've lived up here for almost a decade - I'm kind of used to it."

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