Sunday, January 13, 2019 ~ SOOKE. [Updated January 16]
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
Deep within the Christmas holiday season the owners of Mom’s Cafe put their treasured restaurant up for sale.
Tom and Elaine Dee moved to Sooke in 1999, looking to slow down after their high-pressure high-tech careers in the aerospace industry. In 2007 they bought the restaurant for their son Erik who had been a chef in Seattle, as Erik also headed north having discovered the charm of Sooke like his parents before him.
But Tom at age 80 and Elaine at 76, well it’s time to seek other adventures including travel.
The 2,279 sq.ft. 65-seat restaurant features booth seating and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Staff and management are friendly and really get to know each of their customers. With its funky throwback-to-the-60s decor (substantially remodelled in 2006), Mom’s has a solid reputation among tourists who come to Sooke for the day, or who stop in on their way to or from parts further west after hiking, fishing or sightseeing.
The cozy entry flows to the front cash register area which includes the ice cream chest and pie cabinet. The back end includes two walk-in freezers and a storage room in addition to the kitchen and food prep area. Equipment includes three fridges, fryer, grill, cooktop and ice maker.
With the way the population of Sooke is booming, the appeal for a new Mom’s Cafe owner could be either gearing up the restaurant to a new level and/or developing the full 0.56-acre property as mixed-use with a four- or five-storey residential buildout over top of commercial. Two lots (zoned C-2) plus the current business comprise the offering. Mom’s could get a facelift in all that, or new commercial ventures could take on some leases.
A Victoria-based Realtor has the listing. Eamon Coll with Sutton Group has sold various properties in Sooke however. It’s a town you get to know after a while — the people, the activities, the sense of community. About 10 prospective buyers have already shown an interest in the past few weeks, and have visited for lunch or dinner to get a sense of the place, talk with management and meet the staff.
At the $810,000 asking price (for business and restaurant building at 2036 Shields Road, MLS #402135), a big part of the value in this offering is the land for both size and town-core location. Behind the restaurant is an additional lot with house at 6735 Eustace Road which is valued as vacant (and would likely require demolition), being offered for sale at $375,000 in conjunction with the restaurant property (MLS #402133).
“Like any buyer, someone will fall in love with the property and things will move quickly,” says Coll. From there the process can take a couple of months, for commercial due diligence and dealing with the municipal paperwork process. Zoning already in place is a huge time saver there.
Oh yeah, the menu! In addition to ample portions of fish and chips, roast beef, sandwiches, burgers, fries and salads, there those amazing pies made in-house. Pies to drive all the way to Sooke for!