'I'm losing my retirement': After 24 years, Winnipeg couple shutting restaurant following eviction
'We're not delinquents.… We were honest people for 24 years,' says George's Burgers & Subs co-owner
Gina and Doro Metaxes opened their little diner in a strip mall on McPhillips Street nearly a quarter century ago and never once failed to pay their rent.
On Saturday, though, they'll close the doors to their business for good, after being served with an eviction notice just two months into a year-long lease.
The owners of the George's Burgers & Subs McPhillips Street location were served with an eviction notice on March 30, giving them just 30 days to leave behind the building where they've built their business from the ground up. They say they scrambled to find a new location with no luck and instead, they're closing the business completely.
They thought it was OK to get rid of a person who was here for 24 years and then just pretend we were never here.- Co-owner Gina Mertaxes
Despite their efforts to find out why they're being evicted, they say they've barely been able to contact the property management company, Choice Properties REIT. The company is a real estate investment trust owned by one of Canada's wealthiest families, the Westons, who also own Loblaw Companies and a number of other retail operations.
"They thought it was OK to get rid of a person who was here for 24 years and then just pretend we were never here," said Gina. "We're not delinquents. It's not like we trashed the place or never paid our bills. We were honest people for 24 years."
All the property management company has told them about the reason for the eviction is that it wants the property to go in a different direction, Gina said, and the property manager told them there was nothing he could do.
The strip mall has 10 tenants. Both the diner owners and the chiropractic office beside them are being evicted, an employee from the business next door said. It's unclear whether other businesses in the strip mall are also being evicted.
The property manager declined to comment when reached by phone.
Retirement plan derailed
"It's just wrong. They didn't notify us or anything," Gina said.
Their diner, Doro said, was part of their retirement plan. He is 67 and Gina is 60.
"I'm losing my retirement, [my plan] to sell my business and retire. Now I get nothing," Doro said.
They've had to lay off their employees. In the diner's last days, volunteers, including the couple's daughter Athena, have been working the grills, deep fryer and till.
Gina Metaxes said they would have been willing to pay more rent or negotiate a better deal. If they'd been told the company wouldn't renew the lease next year, instead of leaving them with just a month to vacate the premises, they might have been able to get their affairs in order, she said.
They intend to sue the property management company for damages, Gina said.
No allegations of wrongdoing have been proven in court.
Longtime customers
At noon on Thursday, the place was packed with people getting their fill of both food and conversation. This week, some regulars have been coming in with tears in their eyes, Gina said.
"Mondays are empty now. We listened to the stories they had to tell," said Bell, referring to his counterside conversations with the owners.
"A little diner, it's way better than a fast-food restaurant," said Cherepak.
Roy Feduniw, a customer of about 20 years, said he's become close to the owners and is sad to hear about the closing.
For years, he and a group of friends who ride motorcycles together have stopped in Wednesday for burgers, fries and camaraderie with each other and the owners.
CBC News repeatedly attempted to contact both Choice Properties REIT and Loblaw Companies Ltd. for comment on this story, both by phone and email. Choice Properties and Loblaw have not yet responded.
CBC News did briefly speak with a Loblaw public relations staffer over the phone Thursday, but he was unable to provide a statement on the issue at that time.