New waterpark has lots to eat and drink

By Mike Deibert

OTTAWA—Calypso waterpark opened this summer, with restaurants onsite that can seat more than 700, as well sandwich, ice cream and candy kiosks.

The $45-million Calypso park is located on 90 acres between Ottawa and Montreal in The Nation Municipality, about a 20 minute drive from the nation’s capital.

It is the second such property of Le Group Village Vacances Valcartier, which owns the Village Vacances Valcartier, a waterpark and campground offering summer and winter activities north of Quebec City. The new park in Ontario is only open in summer.

It has a touch of new technology suited to a place where people in bathing suits may not carry wallets or credit cards. With a touch of a finger, they can purchase a drink, a meal or a T-shirt in a theme park merchandising outlet.

All they have to do is open an account when they come to the park, either depositing money or leaving a credit card number, and then have a fingerprint scanned. Whenever they want to buy something, all they have to do is touch their finger to a scanner at the point of sale, and their purchase is charged to their account.

The special POS system was developed with the help of Montreal-based Softicket.
The two main dining spots are Main Street Restaurant, with pizzas, hamburgers, sandwiches and salads; and Ulysses Bar & grill, serving bistro food. Both licensed, they have total seating for 300.

There is also the Hawaiian Beach Bar, a tiki bar licensed for 1,300 and seating 400 to 500, where patrons can enjoy Calypso cocktails along with their food.

The South Breeze Bistro is advertised as offering “a quick, healthy and fresh lunch.” Salads and sandwiches are on the menu.

If the summer heat gives a customer a craving for ice cream, the Penguin Stop offers this cool treat, along with frozen yogurt, milk shakes and slushies. Sweet Treats offers candy apples, popcorn, candy floss, chocolate items and other creations catering to a sweet tooth.

The park also runs corporate barbecues, the largest so far being for a group of 1,400.

Overseeing all this is food and beverage manager Dan Athanasia who has come from the sister park in Quebec and is a former restaurant owner.

The executive chef is Nancy Elliott, who has worked for high-end outfitters and on yachts, and has a catering background.

More restaurants will go up as another section of the 450 acres owned Group Village Vacances is developed.

The park’s main attractions are 35 different water slides and what its website says is Canada’s largest wave pool.

With the good weather it has enjoyed this summer, the park has been bringing in about 13,00 people a day.

In the future, it will be facing local competition. Alottawata, a $30-million water park, is being built by ProSlide Technology on a 100-acre site on the southwest edge of Ottawa, set to open in 2012.