'Those are memories you retain for a long, long time': Main and Matheson Salisbury House in Winnipeg up for sale
An iconic remnant of a beloved Manitoba restaurant chain is now on the market.
The Salisbury House Express, located at 1545 Main Street on the corner of Matheson Avenue, has been listed for sale on the MLS real estate website.
The small, red-roofed restaurant – the last of its kind in Winnipeg – is available "as is, where is," for $421,500.
"Priced for quick sale, with no chance of rezoning condition," said the MLS listing.
"It's unfortunate, it was not an easy decision to make," said Earl Barish, former president & CEO and current chair of the Salisbury House board. "We appreciate our guests and customers who have come to that location over the years for sure."
Barish said there were many factors that played into the decision to sell the building, chief among them the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said the restaurant was barely able to open when public health restrictions were in place. "Even when you could open it to some capacity, its too small, you'd (only) have two or three tables, you need to distance and all the things that were required, you couldn’t open it," Barish said.
As well, rising food prices, inflation, and the recent increase to Manitoba's minimum wage all played into the decision.
Barish said it was also the only Salisbury House location left in Winnipeg that was not a full-service restaurant.
The restaurant was first built in 1963 when the company was developing smaller, coffee shop-style restaurants that were popular at the time.
"That’s the type of service where cafeteria-style is used, you take a tray, slide it along, take some food with you, maybe place an order, and then go pick it up when the order is ready," said Barish.
But he said that particular type of service level just became less and less popular, and all the other locations of this type have been shut down.
"That particular location no longer fits the profile, and can't realty be changed or renovated into a full service, it's too small," he said.
Barish added the building does need significant work – mostly on its HVAC systems – and the bathrooms are not up to code. But he said he would love to see the new owner keep it as a restaurant.
"It would be nice if someone did that. There are some challenges to do that in terms of the physical condition, it would need to be enhanced. But one never knows," said Barish.
Regardless of who buys the restaurant, Barish said it will live on in the memories of those who ate there.
He said often people would come for a late-night meal after celebrations like weddings and bar mitzvahs, "And there you were in your suit, or maybe even your tuxedo, or your gown. But you were hungry, so the place you went to was Salisbury House."
He added it was a very common for the Main and Matheson location to be packed after midnight, as there weren’t many late night restaurants at that time.
"People in that whole North End area and even beyond often ended up at Salisbury house after those celebrations. And those are memories you retain for a long, long time."
Barish said the restaurant will remain open at least through the summer months, or until the sale goes through.
"For those people who are still feeling nostalgic and are in the city, give it a try!"
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
LGBTQ2S+ rallies to be held across Canada, billed as largest since marriage equality
Organizations across the country are gearing up for what they describe as the largest LGBTQ2S+ mobilization since the push for marriage equality.