Salisbury House is a restaurant chain based in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Known locally as "Sals", the chain is considered a Winnipeg institution. The first Salisbury House restaurant was founded in

downtown Winnipeg Downtown Winnipeg is an area of Winnipeg located near the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. It is the oldest urban area in Winnipeg, and is home to the city's commercial core, city hall, the seat of Manitoba's provincial government, a ...

in 1931 by Ralph Erwin (September 2, 1902 – June 5, 1983), who named the venture after the

salisbury steak Salisbury steak is a dish originating in the United States and made from a blend of ground beef and other ingredients and usually served with gravy or brown sauce. It is a version of Hamburg steak. Background Hamburg was a common embarkation ...

. Erwin disliked the term '

hamburger A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically Ground beef, beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles ...

' so named his burger a "nip" to market his hamburgers as a small 'nip' or bite of Salisbury steak. The restaurant has twelve locations in Winnipeg and employs over 500 people. In 1979 Erwin sold his majority interest in the chain to a group of investors. In 2001, it was bought from its then

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

owners by a group of local investors. In the mid-2000s a location on the newly opened

Esplanade Riel Esplanade Riel is a pedestrian bridge located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was named in honour of Louis Riel. It is a side-spar cable-stayed bridge which spans the Red River connecting downtown Winnipeg with St. Boniface; it is paired with a vehic ...

pedestrian bridge opened. However, this location became seasonal in 2008 after the chain said that the Esplanade Riel location was unsustainable due to a low volume of patronage. The bridge location closed in January 2013. In December 2017, majority owners Earl and Cheryl Barish and their partners sold the chain to a partnership group that includes the Metis Economic Development Fund (MEDF), David Filmon, Brad Kramble and several senior managers of Salisbury House. It was announced on July 30, 2019, that Earl and Cheryl Barish had become partners again in the chain less than two years after selling in 2017.Cash, Martin (August 30, 2019)
"He's got a little red roof over his head, again"

Winnipeg Free Press The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...

References

Restaurants in Manitoba Companies based in Winnipeg Restaurant chains in Canada Privately held companies of Canada Downtown Winnipeg {{Canada-restaurant-stub

See also

References