Scroll down to hear an interview with Mel’s co-owner Wendy Epworth.
Mel’s Tearoom is for sale.
The owners of the beloved Sackville diner posted the news on social media on Tuesday.
The message reads:
“The iconic Mel’s Tearoom is for sale in Sackville, NB. Operating since 1945, this small 50s style restaurant is the place to go for a great burger & milk shake! We also offer great home style meals & desserts. Beloved by many generations, Mt.A student & alumni, this is a great investment opportunity. All serious inquiries will be considered!”
Wendy and Dave Epworth bought the business in 2018, and withstood multiple shutdowns during the pandemic, taking the opportunity to renovate the interior of the diner, adding new bathrooms, polished floors, and space for musical performances. Hosting music in the diner had been a dream of Dave Epworth’s. As a musician himself, Epworth wanted to create a venue where all ages could enjoy music together, and Mel’s hosted a number of shows between shutdowns.
But in February of this year, a roof collapse caused an extended shutdown for the restaurant. The Epworths attempted to buy the building from owner Ken Mikalauskas, but say they were unable to secure financing due to the condition of the building and the shut down of the restaurant. Then in June, Mikalauskas told the Epworths he had an offer on the building and gave them 48 hours notice to match it.
That offer turned out to be from partners John Ernst and Tyler Gay, who took over ownership of the Mel’s building on August 4, 2022. Ernst is the son of Terra Beata (and Sackville Cube) owners David and Evelyn Ernst, and he and his partner have also purchased another historic Sackville property: the Wood Block building, across the street from Mel’s, home to a number of restaurants, apartments, and the defunct Imperial Theatre/Sackville Music Hall.
CHMA has been unable to reach Ernst or Gay to find out about their plans for either of the landmark buildings in their growing Sackville real estate portfolio.
Shortly before the sale of the building, Mikalauskas told CHMA that the then-potential buyers of the building were “very much interested in keeping Mel’s going in the community for years to come.”
Mikalauskas first got involved with Mel’s when fourth-generation owner Roger Goodwin sold him the restaurant in 2012. He later bought the building in 2017.
The Goodwin family first opened Mel’s Tearoom in 1919, and moved into the much-loved Bridge Street location in 1945.
In the more than 75 years on Bridge Street, generations of Sackvillians, Mount Allison students, and Sackville visitors have frequented the diner, with its signature green storefront and sign. Shortly after reopening in the summer of 2021, Dave Epworth summed up the nostalgic appeal: “Mel’s got a lot of people through university,” said Epworth. “And they come back in here and everything still feels the same.”
The pull of nostalgia, and the desire to keep the Sackville institution alive, is one of the reasons that both Mikalauskas and later the Epworths purchased the business. And if all goes well for the Sackville landmark, another owner will take on the tradition.
Listen to an interview with Mel’s co-owner Wendy Epworth, first aired on Tantramar Report on August 17, 2022:
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