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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - As summer ends, Yellowknife's best known restaurant can boast a tremendous season, despite "le scandal" surrounding the name of the Wildcat Cafe.

Pierre LePage says he is interested in running the Wildcat Café again next year. - Louis Philibert-Morrissette/NNSL photo

Tourists have been flocking there all summer and it looks like they will keep coming as long as Chef Pierre has his say.

The "le" affair did not scare away Pierre LePage, a.k.a. Chef Pierre, who ran the restaurant this summer and advertised it as "Le Wildcat Cafe."

The city already notified him that the public tender for operations at the restaurant could include an obligation to keep the original name but he said he had no intention of phasing out the "Le" on his own ads and marketing, although he confirmed he wouldn't change the name on the building itself. "Le" is his way to get people to recognize all the businesses he runs.

"It's my way of bringing people in," he said. "They know Chef Pierre's over there." His insistence on using "Le" could keep LePage from running it in the future.

This would not please Naomi Horsman, a regular of the place.

"I'm really glad it's them doing it, it's a quality product," said Horsman between bites of her Northern fish chowder last week.

"If the food is good, I just eat it."

She likes the restaurant because it's close to her workplace but she likely had her last meal of the season there, as it shut down on Sunday.

Shawne Kokelj, her two children and her mom also seemed to enjoy their meal in the log house.

Grandmother Jana Clarke said she has visited her daughter five times so far and they have eaten there every time. Her favourite dish is the fish, but the most unusual meal on the menu is definitely the caribou melt.

Her life in Ottawa does not put her in touch with that kind of meal very often, but Kokelj says it's pretty standard in the North. She also has a soft spot for the sweets offered.

"I always order desserts, but I never have room!" confessed the mother of two.

Apparently Horsman, Kokelj and their families aren't the only loyal customers. "We don't have any more crumbled cheese to serve with the musk-a-poutine!" said LePage.

People from Yellowknife and beyond have shown strong support for the business throughout the season. The numbers speak for themselves. With a 20 per cent increase in sales from last year, the restaurant's popularity is evident, with or without the "Le," said LePage.

This has led the businessman to offer the city an add-on to the existing facilities for summer 2009. "The Mission," a cabin a few metres from the cafe, could be converted into a visitor's centre next summer.

"I'd train my staff to know Yellowknife better," said LePage. "Every tourist eating at the Wildcat asks a million questions."

Visitors would have access to heritage pictures of Yellowknife, and brochures of various kinds would be at their disposal to provide information on tourist packages and local businesses.