The owners of a well-known establishment at Canalside are concerned they could lose their business.

The Buffalo Naval Park Committee is accepting bids for a new experience at the site of The Liberty Hound.

The Liberty Hound has been a staple at Canalside for the last eight years. It was one of the first permanent establishments that helped transform Buffalo’s waterfront.

“One of the reasons we got it was because nobody else bid for it. We took a chance down there when nobody else was willing to and a lot of our friends in the restaurant business kind of thought we were nuts for doing so,” said Jason Davidson, part owner of the restaurant, alongside Mike Shatzel.

Davidson and Shatzel were awarded a contract through a Request for Proposal process back in 2011. The contract, however, recently expired and a new RFP process is now underway.

“We’re a little disappointed, we thought that we should have been given, you know, the right to work out a favorable lease that would benefit the Naval Park and The Liberty Hound,” said Davidson.

Last year The Liberty Hound raked in more than $2 million in sales. During peak season, the restaurant serves about 1,000 people a day.

According to the RFP documents, the Buffalo Naval Park Committee wants to see a “new and creative experience.” The RFP contract is also requiring the new tenants to use “The Liberty Hound” as the name.

“We were surprised to see that in the RFP, we think it was a mistake. We developed the name and the concept, “The Liberty Hound” we own it,” said Davidson.

An online petition to save the hound has already received thousands of signatures.

Davidson and Shatzel are submitting their bid for the restaurant and are hoping their track record holds up, but a handful of other restaurant owners are also submitting bids.

“I’m concerned, you know understandably, but we are optimistic, we’ve done the right things, we’ve never had any problems down there, we’ve always offered a good value to families.”

Proposals are due January 25 and the contract is to be awarded February 15.