An iconic downtown Victoria eatery and its newcomer sidekick in downtown Victoria's Belmont Building could be no more by year’s end, Citified has learned.

 

Sam’s Deli & Bistro – a mainstay of Victoria’s culinary scene since 1972 – and its adjacent hot dog and ice cream parlour counterpart, Dog-Gone-It, will reportedly close this fall at the base of Government and Humboldt streets if the businesses do not sell to new operators.

  

Owner Kate Phoenix, who purchased Sam’s Deli from Rogers’ Chocolates in 2010 along with what was then Dog-Gone-It’s future space (known as the Rogers’ Chocolates Soda Shoppe), recently submitted a letter to staff identifying the potentiality of the closures.

 

Phoenix has reportedly informed staff that Sam’s Deli and Dog-Gone-It will close at the end of October unless a potential buyer steps up. However, Belmont Building owner Jawl Properties has been actively approaching selected parties with respect to the spaces being made available for lease in early 2019, indicating the deli's closure is the likelier of two scenarios. The two floor plates total nearly 3,000 square feet and can be combined into a single space.

 

A request for comment from Phoenix, who also operates Cordova Bay’s oceanside Beach House Restaurant in addition to the two downtown businesses, was not received in time for the publication date of this article.

 

Opened nearly 50 years ago at 805 Government Street by former British Columbia cabinet minister Sam Bawlf, Sam’s Deli is one of downtown Victoria’s oldest businesses. Bawlf sold his interest in the deli in 1976 to Bruce and Barbara Housser who oversaw its operations until Rogers’ Chocolates purchased the high-profile spot in 2004. C

  

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