'It's bittersweet': Popular St. Boniface restaurant set to close its doors
Marion Street Eatery is set to close its doors for good after over a decade serving up steaming plates of eggs benedict, grilled cheese and brisket hash.
The St. Boniface restaurant, long considered a staple in the community, announced Sunday it will close at the end of May.
“It's bittersweet in many, many ways,” Laneil Smith, owner and operator of Marion Street Eatery, told CTV News Winnipeg.
“We're very proud of what we've done in the time that we've been here.”
While she says the industry has become difficult to navigate, Smith says there is no one reason behind the closure. She never planned on running the eatery forever when she opened its doors in February 2014 at the Marion Hotel – a property her family has owned for decades.
“It's more just that we're ready for change,” Smith said.
“We are happy with how we've been able to dedicate to our community. We've built up a beautiful community of people and made plenty of friends and been able to support a lot of very beautiful, smaller, local distributors within the city.”
The Marion Street Eatery dining room is shown in a December 2018 image. (Marion Street Eatery/Instagram)
Restaurant industry still recovering from pandemic: restaurant association
Shaun Jeffrey, CEO of Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association (MRFA), says Marion Street Eatery’s closure is a loss.
“It's never good in our industry to lose such a staple, especially a staple like Marion Street. On a personal level, it’s one of my favourite restaurants in Winnipeg to visit both for breakfast and lunch.”
Jeffrey hopes another restaurant will open in its wake, but he acknowledges operating a business amid inflationary pressures and prolonged fallout from the pandemic can be challenging.
He says Canadian restaurants generally have a two to one closure ratio. Meantime, data from Restaurants Canada found restaurant bankruptcies in January were up to 44 per cent – the highest annual figure in a decade.
“We're facing some pretty monumental challenges in our industry. I wouldn't say that we're seeing a lot of restaurants closing, but we're definitely seeing a lot of restaurants change hands, just because [of] the trying times coming out of the pandemic,” he said, adding Manitoba is still at about a 75 per cent post-pandemic recovery rate.
(Marion Street Eatery/Instagram)
As for Smith, she has seen the industry evolve in her decade-long tenure at Marion Street Eatery. Customers’ food knowledge has grown, with diners keen to support small and local.
While she will miss their loyal customers, she says they have many other amazing local restaurants to welcome them.
“Winnipeg’s food scene is a pivotal part of our communities. I think it's a pivotal part of our relationships, how we’re gathering, how we come together as people, and I think that that's a beautiful thing to be able to be a part of.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Drone footage shows Ukrainian village battered to ruins as residents flee Russian advance
The Ukrainian village of Ocheretyne has been battered by fighting, drone footage obtained by The Associated Press shows. The village has been a target for Russian forces in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.