Saskatoon's iconic Blue Diamond restaurant has sold

An iconic Saskatoon landmark will soon be under new ownership.

In a mournful Facebook post on Sunday, owners of the Blue Diamond — a kitschy Greek family restaurant with a metal and glass diamond-shaped exterior on 22nd Street West — announced the sale of their family business.

“It is with bittersweet feelings that we announce our beloved, family owned and operated restaurant has been SOLD,” said the post, signed as Blue Diamonds Management and Staff.

“There has been so much speculation over the last few months about our place. We (owners and staff) wanted to take this opportunity to address our appreciation to our customers, for the kindness and support shown to us over the last 38 years.”

The restaurant had been up for sale for about a year, according to Gus Katsiris, whose father George opened it after coming to Canada from Greece in the 1980s.

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“Everybody’s getting too old,” Katsiris told CTV News in April. “Like, my father is 80-years-old. The rest of the staff are in their late 60s, you know what I mean? And it’s hard to find staff.”

Katsiris said his dad George was a bricklayer in Greece before he immigrated to Canada. His brothers owned a couple restaurants and after working with them for a while, he decided to open his own.

After nearly four decades in business, Katsiris said George was still working up to 14 hours every day.

(Source: Realtor.ca)

The family was looking sell the building and restaurant together as a turn-key business. Judging by the Facebook post, it will continue operating under its new ownership.

It’s not clear if the new owners will keep the Blue Diamond name and menu, so if you have ever thought about giving this long-running local restaurant a try, now is your last chance.

“The new owners will be taking over on September 1st. We wish them the very best of luck in this new business venture and we hope you show them the kind of support you have shown us over the years,” the owners said in their Facebook post.

“We welcome everyone to stop by and visit us before our time here is done. We look forward to seeing you soon.”