Classic Steakhouse Moishes Sold to Owners of Chain Sports Bar

Classic Plateau steakhouse Moishes has been sold to a corporation known for its sports bars in Quebec.

According to a press release (also reported by the Montreal Gazette), the Sportscene Group, known for owning La Cage Aux Sports, has bought the 80-year-old icon on St-Laurent Boulevard, ending decades of family ownership. Sportscene also owns the Quebec locations of Chinese-American restaurant P.F. Chang’s.

Notably, the restaurant will not close, and will retain its current management — including Lenny Lighter, the owner-operator who sold the restaurant, and who is the son of the restaurant’s founder and namesake, Moishe Lighter.

On top of the restaurant, Sportscene also bought all rights to the Moishes brand, which includes Moishes products sold in grocery stores.

The press release for the company promises that the “personality and family spirit” of the historic restaurant will be preserved. Yet the nature of the comments announcing the sale are, well, pretty corporate.

“With the support and operating structure of Sportscene, we’re now in the best position ever to accelerate the growth of our business by reaching new clients,” Lighter said in the press release. He also highlighted that Sportscene is a Quebec company — so, at least it’s not a massive multinational.

But ultimately, Sportscene is a sports bar operator, and this is its first venture into relatively fine dining, so ti’s more or less unchartered territory, and time will tell if they keep Moishes the same, or decide to transform it.

• Sportscene Group acquires Moishes [CNW]
• Moishes sold to La Cage aux Sports owner Sportscene Group [Montreal Gazette]
• All Moishes coverage [EMTL]