A buffet of cash wasn’t waiting inside a mysterious safe found during the demolition of Bonanza Steakhouse.
The safe, which was found welded to the ground of the restaurant during last week’s demolition, was cut open this weekend. Bonanza-themed keychains and a quarter from 1974 were inside.
“What’d you get?” one person asks in a video of the safe’s cutting.
“Nothing,” another person responds. “Keychains. Bonanza keychains.”
Ryan Schwab, who owns RJS Consulting and Earthworks, sent the video to CTV.
Schwab found the safe during Bonanza’s tear down last week. He was unable to open it because the safe’s tumbler — a piece of the locking device — was damaged during the demolition.
The safe was the talk of the town last week, with many people speculating it was a time capsule. Its opening — which some might consider anti-climactic — was met with laughter by those on hand over the weekend.
“Oh, for heaven’s sakes,” one person comments in the video.
“This is funny,” another laughs.
Gary Baba, Bonanza’s owner for the last 21 years, told CTV Saskatoon last week he knew about the safe when he took over the restaurant but never thought to open it. He said he assumed the previous owners left nothing valuable behind.
The steakhouse was shut down in February after a fire significantly damaged the building. The entire restaurant was demolished by the end of Thursday.
Baba said he wants to rebuild Bonanza in the same location but is still waiting to learn more about the insurance claims.
Damage after the fire was estimated at $2 million. No one was injured in the blaze.
--- with files from Mark Villani, Angelina Irinici and Laura Woodward
