Jordyn Wiens, 20, will be one of the waitresses at Teenie Bikini Bistro opening on the North Shore next weekend in Kamloops.

(KAREN EDWARDS / iNFOnews.ca)

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops is getting a new bistro on the North Shore and it's betting less is more.

Leann McArthur is making her name known as the newest addition to the North Shore as the owner of Teenie Bikini Bistro at 542 Tranquille Road. The restaurant is set to open on May 25 offering a unique dining experience to customers by having the front of house wait staff dress in bikinis. McArthur says her servers can choose to wear a two piece bathing suit or any type of beach-related attire.

“It will be a fun place,” she says.

The mother of six who recently moved back to Kamloops from Edmonton says the idea of opening up a bikini-themed restaurant came roughly two years ago when she started following a business owner on Instagram who runs a Bikini Barista coffee shop in the U.S.

“I’ve been following her for a couple years and she does so well, so I thought ‘This is such a good idea’ and I looked around and [realized] there is nothing like that around,” she says.

McArthur says since the public has caught wind of her unique concept, she’s received a lot of attention. Although some have been quick to judge on just the name, McArthur says exploiting women is not the intention.

“We are not being sexist and we’re not discriminating women,” she says. “(The servers) are not going to be flaunting themselves on the street, they are inside.”

Despite some criticism, McArthur says she’s been overwhelmed with the amount of people who have applied looking for a job with the bistro.

“We have had so many resumes sent to us,” she says — nearly 50 in two hours.

They are still in the process of painting and getting ready to open by next weekend but McArthur says she’s already planning for some events and projects for the summer.

“I’m planning on twice a month the waitresses will dress in normal clothes and we will have a kid’s karaoke night where families can bring their kids in and sing,” she says.

McArthur says she hopes throughout the summer she will be able to give back to the community by helping the homeless in the area.

“Every couple weeks throughout the summer we want to have like a barbecue where we feed the homeless and give them a burger and a bottle of water,” she says.

McArthur says she is looking forward to opening up. The food will be pub-style and the bistro will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

For more information on the bistro visit their official Instagram account.

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