Barry and Jackie Tough imagined and created T's Dining and Lounge and now, 14 years on this Virden couple have decided it’s time to retire from their busy lounge and restaurant in the heart of downtown Virden.
The many comments on the T’s Facebook page ranged from short “congratulations” on retirement, sincere “we’ll miss you!” salutations, nostalgic memories made there and notes of appreciation from former staff, many of them students.
Jackie Tough says, “It has been our honour to be a part of so many celebrations and events. A lot of great memories have been made at T’s.”
It was here that Virden’s director/producer Michelle Chyzyk chose to hold an opening night pre-show party for Crazy For You. Hors d’oeuvres and beverages were served at the stand-up party. As show-time guests filed out the back door to enter the nearby Aud Theatre.
Jeff McConnell, a former Virden mayor in office when Toughs began the T’s venture, said on Facebook, “You two created such a wonderful experience. I remember when you started the transformation from We-R-Video to T's and the efforts you expended to find the historical imagery of your building and re-imagining the facade to reflect the past.
“Then to create the beautiful interiors of the lounge and the restaurant. And finally combining those beautiful spaces with fantastic food and a welcoming experience.”
About 10 years ago, officials from Ukraine visited Virden as part of a Federation of Canadian Municipalities program. They dined at T’s as McConnell recalls, “I'm sure you remember one of my favourite moments being when we hosted the delegation of Ukraine mayors, business people, and project leaders one night.... Particularly poignant memories right now.”
No matter where in T’s large establishment that you chose to eat, the elegant upper floor restaurant with a view to the street below, the cozy main floor bar, or in good weather – the outdoor patio – chances are, you can recall taking visiting family, town friends or joining work colleagues there.
Home-grown restaurateurs
Virden’s Tough family grew up in the restaurant business with their father owning Larry’s Lunch from 1965 to 1977 in downtown Virden.
Jackie and Barrie were proprietors of We-R-Video and after 20 years in the video business, they decided it was time for a change.
Jackie says, “In 2008 we decided to pursue our dream of opening a restaurant. Our goal was to provide a nice place with good food and service to Virden and area, with a nice atmosphere and flexible design to accommodate different sized groups.”
The couple had vision for their building.
“It was important to us to maintain the historical integrity of our 1892 building. After consultation with Heritage Manitoba, the building was designated a historical building and they helped with the exterior design. We endeavoured to preserve some of the original aspects of the interior while modernizing and bringing everything up to current codes and standards.
Toughs worked day and night toward their opening date, and Jackie says “The interest and enthusiasm from the people in town was encouraging.
“We will never forget our opening night, we had parties booked, expectations were high, we were so nervous, excited, but anxiously waiting on our liquor license to come through, which thankfully it did about an hour before the customers arrived.”
Barry has managed the kitchen full-time, with help from his brother Dennis in the beginning. T’s menu was developed using favourites from his brother’s and sister’s days at the Clae Mar (circa 1993) restaurant. New ideas and recipes were created and tried as specials over the years.
Jackie has managed the front end, choosing the decor, managing the staffing, the financial aspects of the business and the treats at the end of the meal - the desserts.
“We couldn't have done it without the help of our daughter Brinna, who has been working with us since we began renovating and has been our full-time manager /server.
“Since that opening day, we have been humbled and grateful for the generous support we have received from the community, particularly during the last couple of years through the pandemic.”
“Over the years we have had some truly wonderful staff which we have come to think of as family.” Willing staff was part of what Jackie calls “our amazing team,” which made T’s a success story.
“We are so thankful to have worked alongside many great people. We will really miss our staff and customers as we enter into this new chapter.”
And now, the Toughs hope that maybe someone younger will be interested in taking over T’s, as it will be sad to see such a good thing come to an end.
