Friskee Pearl up for sale Downtown seafood restaurant listed as ‘turn key operation’ By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 4:51 PM CDT Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023

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This article was published 12/10/2023 (712 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Six months after opening, The Friskee Pearl is up for sale.

The downtown seafood restaurant was celebrated with prosecco and partying during its launch in April. Now the business — located on Main Street in the former Earls — is listed on the market as a “turn key operation” for $399,900.

The eatery blends East Coast pub with Mediterranean bistro. It’s the brainchild of Chris Graves, who owns the King’s Head Pub, a longstanding establishment in the Exchange District.

Graves declined to comment Thursday. However, he wrote in a text the business is not closing. His real estate agent also declined to comment “due to confidentiality purposes and obligations.”

The property itself is not for sale. It was assessed at $4.9 million in June and belongs to a numbered corporation Graves isn’t a director of, according to City of Winnipeg and provincial records.

Graves previously told the Free Press he nearly gutted the 191 Main St. building before opening. He worked on the project last winter; Earls vacated the space in February of 2022, moving a short walk away into the new 300 Main tower.

“I’m in there with my own two hands, doing a lot of the work on my own,” he said last November.

The Friskee Pearl opened with nautical decor, a stage for performances and plush banquettes. Mayor Scott Gillingham attended the launch, sharing a few words on the importance of new businesses.

Graves had previously said he’d taken on debt to keep the King’s Head open during the pandemic. He’d received more than $45,000 in donations through a GoFundMe campaign when the business faced closure in 2021.

In November, Graves said he couldn’t launch The Friskee Pearl without support from the bank and investors.

In June, the Free Press reported allegations from former King’s Head employees of skimmed wages. The company denied the allegations in a statement issued by its lawyer.

The King’s Head Pub has been successful for decades, noted Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

“It may be a case of just deciding to focus activities around his core operation,” Remillard said, adding “that’s for (Graves) to answer.”

The sale could be a “strategic business decision of a positive nature,” Remillard continued. He called the sale “reflective” of the hospitality industry across the country in a post-pandemic, high inflation era.

“It’s unfortunate but not surprising that today is the Friskee Pearl,” Remillard stated. “It may be another restaurant tomorrow or in the days that follow.”

The Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association declined an interview request on the subject.

Randy Simpson stood in The Friskee Pearl’s quiet parking lot Thursday.

“I don’t even know what to say,” he mused.

He learned of the business being up for sale after eating “excellent” clam chowder during the lunch hour.

“It could be busier, no doubt,” Simpson said. “You never want to see a business go down.”

The Friskee Pearl’s listing highlights its spot near the intersection of Main and York streets.

“This location boasts one of the strongest curb appeals in the city,” the listing reads, adding it’s close to major attractions like the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

The restaurant has a capacity of 455 patrons, including a wraparound patio to fit 180 people.

Earls occupied 191 Main St. for nearly 30 years; it moved into 300 Main and now connects to the downtown underground tunnel network, which was an asset gained in the move, staff said at the time.

Successful downtowns need strategies, Remillard asserted.

“(We’re) encouraged to hear the conversations that are ongoing between the mayor and premier-designate Kinew,” he said. “There is a clear connection and a willingness to work together to advance our downtown economically as well as socially.”

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com