Paddlewheel restaurant closes after nearly 60 years

CTV Winnipeg: Paddlewheel restaurant closes doors Jon Hendricks reports on the iconic downtown Winnipeg restaurant serving its final meals on Jan. 24 in The Bay building.

An iconic downtown Winnipeg restaurant on the sixth floor of the Bay downtown served its last meals Jan. 24.

The Paddlewheel restaurant on the sixth floor of the Bay downtown closed its doors after nearly 60 years in business.

Fans flocked to the restaurant to share both meals and memories.

"I have a buddy who has a lot of memories here. He started his business in the restaurant here. He can't come today so I figured I'd pick him up a memento," said Dallas Kornelsen.

Officials released a statement earlier in January about the closure.

“After careful consideration, The Bay and Compass Group Canada have announced the closure of the Paddlewheel restaurant operated within the Downtown Bay store,” said the statement.

“The Bay is always evaluating our service offerings to ensure they align with our vision of being a leading retailer in North America. As a result of renovations to our stores and/or adjustments to our service offerings, The Bay and Compass Group made the joint decision to close the restaurant, supporting The Bay's continued efforts to improve and deliver an exceptional shopping experience to our customers.”

The Zellers store housed in The Bay basement is also slated to close in the spring.

The closure of the Paddlewheel is the latest in a series of longstanding Winnipeg restaurants shutting down.

Last fall, the Wagonwheel shut down while the Shanghai closed in 2011, after 60 years in business. The Kelekis family's restaurant is set to close its doors on Jan. 30 after eight decades in operation.