BonTon & Company - Retail and Production Expansion
From the moment you step foot in Dawson City, you can feel the culture, history and legend that make it so iconic. Old Western-style buildings sink sideways into the earth against the backdrop of hills and mountains that reach for the sky, a contrast that complements the diverse shops, restaurants and hotels that line the streets.
Among these establishments is BonTon & Company, a restaurant, café and food retail store with an attached butcher shop. During the summers, it is a bustling hub for tourists and locals. In the winter, it is a cozy refuge from the cold. Year-round, BonTon & Company is the perfect place for anyone interested in incredible locally-sourced food and drink North of 60.
It began as a popular backyard butcher shop (BonTon Butcherie and Charcuterie) and expanded in early 2020 with the purchase of a commercial space downtown. With support from CanNor funding, owners/operators Shelby Jordan, a trained butcher, and Dennis Dunn, an experienced hospitality manager, equipped and furnished the space to facilitate business growth. When COVID-19 changed everything, BonTon & Company pivoted to implement renovations and additional purchases to allow the business to operate within public health measures.
Adaptable, visionary and ambitious – these traits have all helped push the business to succeed. BonTon & Company has already been featured extensively in a variety of local and national publications, including in Up Here magazine, Travel Yukon's promotional materials, The Globe and Mail - Canada's Kitchen 2021, ELLE Canada magazine and Air Canada's enRoute magazine in 2021.
BonTon & Company is also community-focused and locally-driven. Their commitment to bringing quality local food to Dawson is demonstrated in each menu item as well as through the range of products available at the retail counter, many of which are produced by other local farmers and food producers. This role in helping strengthen the Yukon's agriculture community is just one of many reasons why BonTon & Company continues to be a favourite among locals and visitors alike.