Real estate mogul to become lord of Le Manoir

Montreal real-estate magnate and restaurant/bar owner Peter Sergakis is set to purchase Le Manoir, a West Island institution for almost 40 years. The deal is expected to be for about $3.5 million.

The brasserie, located at the corner of St. John and Hymus boulevards in Pointe Claire, was named the ‘best watering hole’ in The Chronicle’s Best of the West contest last summer. The paperwork for the sale is set to be completed later this month, Sergakis told The Chronicle’s in a phone interview. Sergakis said he had his eye on the Le Manoir about eight years ago but wasn’t able to convince the owners to sell then.

Once the sale is finalized, this will be Sergakis’ first foray into the West Island. “This is a major purchase,” he added. “I consider the location to be the ‘downtown’ of the West Island. It has tremendous potential. I’m excited.”

Sergakis said he doesn’t plan a major overhaul to the place. “It’s an institution in the West Island and I plan to keep it that way,” he said, adding the proprietors choose him because he was an operator not a developer. “They have done a great job for (about 40) years; it’s the same owners who built it.

“But you can tell the customers the place will get even better with me,” he continued. “I have the infrastructure in place to do a great job. But don’t get excited that something different will happen there in the next 40 years.”

Sergakis, president of the Union des tenanciers de bars du Québec, an association representing about 700 Quebec bar owners, and who runs bars such as the Sky Pub in Montreal’s gay village, said the main focus of his business empire is real estate. He owns the building that housed Serre Picasso, a popular all-day eatery in NDG that closed in February after about 20 years. He plans to re-open a restaurant at the site that caters to Picasso’s base of clientele.

Officials at Le Manoir declined to comment for this article, wanting to wait until the purchase transaction is completed.

According to civic records, the Manoir property is owned by Clairebec Inc. and was constructed in 1972. It had a valuation of about $1.8 million in the last property taxation roll.