THUNDER BAY -- The end of one era could be the start of a new one as an iconic Westfort restaurant was torn down following a recent fire.
The owners of Caesar's Place, a fixture on Syndicate Avenue for decades, say the plan is to rebuild the restaurant, famous for its panzerottis and pizza.
The owners, in a Facebook post, said after three owners and 43 years of great staff, awesome customers and tons of memories, it's a bittersweet kind of day, seeing the demolition crew arrive on Saturday morning.
"We have mixed emotions, of course. Sad to watch it go, but relief because this means one step closer to rebuilding, which is the plan moving forward. To all of you who own gift certificates, no worries, they will still be valid and to all of you needing your weekly fix - coming soon," the post reads.
"Hopefully we will have some more news to share in the near future. We really do miss cooking for all of you and seeing your smiling eyes. See you soon!"
Longtime customer Wayne Wilson stopped by to watch the building come down for a few minutes.
"I used to frequent it quite a bit. I liked the pizzas. They were great pizzas. It's like an icon in the neighbourhood. So it was really said when it burnt down and hopefully they can get it rebuilt," Wilson said.
"It's a real piece of history, I guess. I lived in Westfort on Empire Avenue and I used to come here, I worked over at the railroad as a kid and it's just a real neighbourhood statement. I'll be coming back. Hopefully they get it rebuilt. But the older building, it just fit the neighbourhood."
The restaurant burned down in early July.
