Latest news with #StJacobs
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Village Biergarten in St. Jacobs up for sale
A 'For Sale' sign stood outside Village Biergarten in St. Jacobs on June 4, 2025. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News) A restaurant that laid claim to one of the largest outdoor patios in Waterloo Region has closed. The Village Biergarten in St. Jacobs made headlines in 2020 with their creative solution to indoor dining amid pandemic limitations. The restaurant set up 'dining domes' allowing customers to stay outside while eating. According to a social media post on March 18, 2024, the establishment changed owners. The doors are now closed to all customers and a large 'for sale' sign has been propped up in the front yard. A note on the property accused the restaurant's operator of 'continued non-payment of rent.' Village Biergarten in St. Jacobs A notice claims the operator of Village Biergarten in St. Jacobs has been locked out of the establishment for failing to pay rent. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News) The location has been listed on with a list price of $999,900. The listing description states, 'This offering includes the land, building, and business, giving you multiple pathways: operate the Biergarten yourself, lease it out as an income-generating investment, or reimagine the space to suit your own vision.' A post was briefly available on the restaurant's Instagram account, reading, in part, 'It's true that, unfortunately, the current ownership of the Village Biergarten has been evicted from the property effective immediately, due to tardiness of paying rent. It's not true that I, Denis Fontana, don't pay the bills. Unfortunately, we had an extremely hard time since January, and unfortunately the expenses have been paid later, including asking some of the staff to wait [sic] few more days for their pay, yet prioritizing who [sic] in need.'
CTV News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘Cheers' actor remembered for time in St. Jacobs
He may have been known as 'Norm' to most people, but to the folks in St. Jacobs, he was George. George Wendt died at the age of 76 on Tuesday morning. He was well known for his portrayal of Norm on the hit 1980s TV show, 'Cheers.' Later in life, he spent time on Broadway. His love of the stage eventually brought him to Ontario, where he appeared in a Drayon Entertainment production of 'Death of a Salesman' in St. Jacobs. During his time there, he frequently stopped by Jack's Family Restaurant, just steps away from the St. Jacobs County Playhouse. 'We were saddened to hear about the passing of George Wendt. Many will remember him as Norm from Cheers, but to us at Jack's, he'll always be the kind and down-to-earth guy who came in for a bite many times,' a social media post from the restaurant reads. Jack's Family Restaurant co-owner Saddy Kulafi recalled meeting the star. 'He wasn't a wise cracker when he came in,' Kulafi said. 'He wasn't cracking jokes left and right, like his dialog on the show. [He was] just genuinely down to earth. Seemed like his character Norm, but he would interact with staff. He'd even learn some staff names.' 'We were always kind of joking that it's interesting, he came from a show where a bar where everyone knows your name, but he'd come here and he'd ask people their names and use their names. So it was really it's really cool.' Wendt's family said he died peacefully in his sleep while at home.
