West End ‘institution’ Casa Grande up for sale

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The dining room is closed and a for sale sign is mounted on the brick façade but West End culinary cornerstone Casa Grande Pizzeria hasn't turned the ovens off just yet.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/05/2020 (2340 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The dining room is closed and a for sale sign is mounted on the brick façade but West End culinary cornerstone Casa Grande Pizzeria hasn’t turned the ovens off just yet.

Owner Frank Grande said after 44 years of business at the corner of Sargent Avenue and Wall Street the Italian pizzeria and restaurant is for sale.

“I’m hoping to find someone who would like to continue it and it’s a viable business,” Grande said. “It’s a well-known name and, as long as my health holds up, I’m certainly willing to train somebody that’s willing to put in the time and the effort to make a go of it.”

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Frank Grande, owner of Casa Grande Pizzeria on Sargent Avenue, has put the family business up for sale after nearly 45 years of operating in the community.
MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Frank Grande, owner of Casa Grande Pizzeria on Sargent Avenue, has put the family business up for sale after nearly 45 years of operating in the community.

The 60-year-old restaurateur said he’s been entertaining offers from interested parties to take the family business off his hands for the past year and a few people have been by to kick the tires. While retirement was still some years away, recent health concerns have spurred him to find an “exit plan” and post the for sale signs in April.

“It’s something that I need to take care of,” Grande said. “That’s the reason why I’m selling. The business is still good. It has more to do with me getting on in age and with my health.”

Despite provincial government orders shuttering dining rooms to stem the spread of COVID-19, the kitchen continues to serve up authentic Italian recipes for takeout and delivery, and loyal clientele continue to support the operation even with the real estate notice out front. With a family history stretching half a century in the neighbourhood, the West End local said support for the business is ingrained in the community.

The family moved to Winnipeg in the mid-1960s and Grande and his brother Tony cut their teeth at restaurants in the West End before deciding to open up their own at 984 Sargent Ave. The pair purchased the two-storey, 2,300-square-foot restaurant in 1976 and retrofitted the former breakfast spot into the traditional Italian eatery that has become a multi-generational destination.

Tony retired about a decade ago, Grande said, and the operation has continued ticking under front-of-house manager Terry McIvor, whose tenure stretches 30 years.

“I’ve got mixed feelings, to tell you the truth,” Grande said of listing Casa Grande. “I like the business and I enjoy the people who come to the restaurant. We know them by name or by face, and they know us, and that’s what I’m looking at that makes me a little sad, or I will be once it sells.”

Frank Zappia, a regular customer at Casa Grande and the real estate agent handling the listing, described the restaurant as a West End institution.

“We order from there all the time,” he said. “For me, it’s the best pizza in the city. We’re hoping someone will take over the business, as well, but you never know.”

The community has also experienced a period of commercial rejuvenation with new independent businesses opening on Wall Street and finding success. With the commercial landscape changing, reasonable property taxes and young families choosing to move to the West End, Zappia said the corner lot could prove to be lucrative.

“If someone was to go in there and purchase this place, they’ve got it all: the history, investment in the building and the property,” he said. “There’s so much potential in a neighbourhood that’s continuing to improve.”

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca

History

Updated on Wednesday, May 6, 2020 1:02 AM CDT: Updates photo

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