SWANSEA – The owner of the Venus de Milo banquet facility, a longtime gathering place for Rhode Islanders and southeastern Massachusetts residents alike, is now determined to sell the landmark after the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the business.
Owner Monte C. Ferris recently said that he’s backing off plans discussed earlier this year to get the banquet business back in action, after persisting with weekend-only Venus de Milo brand takeout orders from another facility he owns on Wilbur Avenue called Jillian’s Sports Pub & Grill. The business was known for dishes such as baked stuffed lobster, clam chowder, Delmonico potatoes and a signature minestrone soup.
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Ferris also cited trouble finding staff as a reason for calling it quits, according to a recent interview with The Herald News of Fall River.
“I’ve lost well over a million dollars,” said Ferris, 70, according to the Herald News, as a result of the cancellation of private-function events and refunds on deposits since the pandemic arrived in March 2020. “When you can’t find help and you’ve got a 60,000-square-foot building, takeout doesn’t support it.”
Ferris is asking for $4.75 million to sell the restaurant, which opened more than 60 years ago, and the 7.5-acre property it is built on. The property was listed for sale through Providence-based MG Commercial Real Estate Services Inc.
This comes after Ferris said in May this year that he was intending to reopen the facility and its Empire Grille after finding and hiring experienced restaurant workers.
While takeout orders will continue in Swansea until further notice, Ferris said he’s looking to continue his “Venus Foods” takeout brand from a different location, potentially close to Providence.
Ferris’ father previously operated a bowling alley at the Venus de Milo site, with a restaurant known as the Olympic Room, later converting it into a ballroom to meet a demand for wedding celebrations.
In addition to attracting countless Rhode Island residents who came for youth sports banquets, political events and wedding receptions, the Venus de Milo was visited by celebrities, including singer Frank Sinatra, actor Red Buttons, attorney F. Lee Bailey and middleweight boxing champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, a Fall River native, also worked in the kitchen there during his younger years.
Marc Larocque is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Larocque@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter @LaRockPBN.