A longtime fixture of downtown Nanaimo’s dining scene is closing for good. MGM Restaurant, located on Nichol Street, will serve its final meal on Sunday, Oct. 11, ending a run that began more than four decades ago.
The family-run restaurant was opened in 1984 by Helen and Tony Samaroo after the couple immigrated to Canada. Its name traces back to a memorable stop the couple made at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas when they first arrived in the country. According to their daughter, Tricia Samaroo, who serves as the restaurant’s operations manager, the sight of a 747 aircraft displayed inside that hotel left a lasting impression on her parents — enough that they carried the name forward into their own business.
A Family Institution
Over the decades, MGM built a reputation in Nanaimo as a place for comfort food and consistent, friendly hospitality. The Samaroo family estimates that the restaurant has employed more than 1,000 people in the city since it first opened its doors, a reflection of both its longevity and its role as a steady presence in the local economy.
Tricia Samaroo said the decision to close is tied to the family’s changing circumstances rather than any single business setback. “Our family’s getting older, dad passed away, and mom’s getting a bit older,” she said, explaining that after decades of running the restaurant, it is time for the family to move in a different direction.
Customers React to the News
The announcement has landed hard with the restaurant’s regulars, many of whom have eaten at MGM for years and, in some cases, grown up around its tables. Tricia Samaroo described the reaction from longtime customers as a mix of sadness and gratitude. “They’re sad, but they’re also really thankful for the time that they got to have here. A lot of people grew up here,” she said.
Outside the restaurant, a sign has gone up thanking the community for its support over the years — a small, visible marker of the closure for passersby on Nichol Street ahead of the final service date.
What Comes Next for the Samaroos
While the restaurant itself is shutting down, the Samaroo family says its connection to Nanaimo isn’t ending along with it. Tricia Samaroo said the family intends to stay involved in the community going forward, even though the specifics haven’t been worked out. “We haven’t exactly got our heads wrapped around what it is, but we definitely are always here to serve the community,” she said.
For now, the closure marks the end of a chapter that began in 1984, when Helen and Tony Samaroo set out to build a restaurant rooted in hospitality after immigrating to Canada. Four decades on, MGM Restaurant leaves behind a legacy shaped less by any single dish and more by the generations of Nanaimo residents who passed through its doors — as employees, regulars, and, as Tricia Samaroo put it, people who simply grew up there.
The restaurant’s final day of service is set for Sunday, Oct. 11.
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