ASHWAUBENON (NBC 26) — October is ushering in new beginnings at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center with a re-branded restaurant following the active shooting incident that happened on May 1.
In a few weeks, people will see signs outside the Radisson for Cedar & Sage Grill House. That's the new name of the restaurant located inside the hotel.
"The name change was one of the bigger things that we felt was important to do to distance ourselves from what happened back on May 1," said Steve Ninham, general manager of the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center.
The eatery was formerly known as the Duck Creek Kitchen and Bar, where a former employee shot and killed two workers and wounded another person on May 1.
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Ninham said the restaurant closed immediately after the shooting. The Onedia Nation held several healing ceremonies following the incident to cleanse the area.
One of those ceremonies is how the restaurant got its new name: The building underwent a smudging ceremony, which used cedar and sage to bless the facility.
"We really felt that it was a time of healing for Oneida and Oneida Nation and for the hotel and our staff. So Cedar and Sage just came naturally to call that as our name for the restaurant," Ninham said. "It truly is a new beginning for us to move forward and make this restaurant really part of the community, part of the Oneida Nation people and part of the hotel."
Along with the new name and logo, Cedar & Sage Grill House features new flooring, a new website and new menus. The restaurant has had a soft opening the past three weeks as details are finalized.
The full menu was finished on Thursday. There are still traditional foods from Oneida Nation on the menu, like bison filet from Oneida Nation farms and cheese curds made with traditional Oneida white corn.
"A new beginning for us starts with a prayer. So we've used cedar and sage to bless this facility. We've blessed ourselves and we're ready to move forward with a positive mind," said Daniel Guzman, Oneida Nation councilman. "The Radisson has been here for over 35 years. Over time we've seen a number of different changes. I would say our people, our community are resilient and this is just another new beginning that we're seeing and we're always evolving to become better."
A hard opening for Cedar & Sage Grill House is planned for later in October. The restaurant is open for breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday and for dinner from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Ninham said Cedar & Sage Grill House needs more staff to move forward, including bartenders, hosts and food runners. He said they're 43 people short between the front and back of house.
