Saskatoon restauranteur George Kosmas looks back on a life spent in The Cave

For nearly his entire life, George Kosmas can remember spending days and nights at The Cave.

The unique Saskatoon restaurant has hosted countless anniversaries, birthdays and family suppers for more than 51 years, but Kosmas and his family are set for a new chapter after selling the business to a local ownership group.

“I know when I leave here every night and I'm locking the door, I know I'm getting closer and closer to the last time I turn that key, and yeah, it’s going to be hard to turn that key for the last time,” Kosmas said.

Managing the Saskatoon dining staple for many years alongside his mother and father, who originally bought the building with a business partner in 1973, has been the Kosmas family’s life work.

Kosmas says people looked at his father sideways when he had the audacious idea of renovating the building to look like a cave when famer’s fields could be seen nearby.

Luckily, he wasn’t deterred. The restaurant with winding hallways and dozens of alcoves ripped out of a sci-fi movie became a weekly dining spot for thousands of loyal customers, and a must-stop for tourists.

Saskatoon's The Cave restaurant has been sold, after 51 years being run by the Kosmas family. (Dale Cooper / CTV News)

“As they come in and grow and their families grow, as they lose loved ones and gain new ones, it's just so inspiring just to see that transformation in people's lives and being a part of it as a fly on the wall, so to speak, in their favorite eating place,” Kosmas said.

Over the years, hundreds of couples have been engaged in one of the many booths at The Cave, with many of them returning annually to mark the occasion.

Walking through the front door and crossing the wooden bridge to the front counter, Kosmas got a front row seat to thousands of first impressions of customers — whether they’re eight or 80-years-old.

“Their eyes just widen, and it's so much excitement,” Kosmas said.

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But the Greek-Italian restaurant may be known for its good food and its good service as much as its unique architecture.

Server Keitanna Gerwing says there’s a family bond at The Cave that you can’t replicate anywhere else.

“Being a part of that and getting to know them over the years and then on a daily basis, seeing them (and) being a part of their tradition just means so much to me,” she said. “It's something that I never want to end.”

Kosmas has spent much of his life in restaurants. Whether he was at The Cave or at Cousin Nick’s, the Granada House or the Saskatoon Station Place, his father always instilled the value of serving good food, and the ability to be a gracious host.

(CTV News)

Knowing that his family’s restaurant has lasted over 51 years with a place in many people’s hearts has humbled him, and with more of those stories pouring in since news of The Cave’s sale has spread, he’s sad to see it go.

“It's getting harder and harder to keep dry eyes as shifts go on,” Kosmas said.

The Kosmas family’s last day operating the restaurant is Feb. 22. The new ownership group is set to take over on March 1.

Kosmas said he isn’t sure what the new owners will do to the building, but he knows driving down 8th Street will soon feel a lot different.