Sid’s on Main closes: New restaurant moving in
After a solid three-year run in Canton, Sid’s on Main is closing, leaving a huge vacancy in downtown.
Sid’s occupied the restaurant space in The Imperial Hotel, a renovated historic building in the heart of downtown Canton. With few dining options left in downtown, many were sad to see it go.
But Pat Smathers, owner of the building, said a new restaurant would be opening in the same space by the first of June.
“Sid’s showed that you can be successful in that kind of business in Canton,” Smathers said. “It was important to me, Sid and the town to get someone in there as soon as possible — it’s something we’ve been working on for several months.”
Smathers said Sid Truesdale, owner of Sid’s, came to him last fall and told him he and his wife Page wanted to close the restaurant in order to spend more time with their children. While the lease ran out in January, Smathers said Sid’s continued to operate until the end of April.
“Sid and Page worked long, hard hours, and they were successful,” Smathers said. “We owe them gratitude because they changed peoples’ habits — Canton hadn’t had anything like this for a long time.”
Related Items
Attorney General Stein recognizes heroism in Canton
'Cold Mountain Christmas Craft Fair'
Dillsboro’s ‘Lights & Luminaries’
Pactiv merger leaves questions about Canton mill site
In the meantime, Smathers was scouting out restaurateurs to take over the space, but he knew it couldn’t just be anybody. He wanted someone with experience in the business, someone who could continue to do outside catering, someone with hotel experience as the hotel renovation project inches forward and someone who wants to be a part of the Canton community as it makes its comeback.
“I wanted to find somebody who could build on Sid’s success,” he said.
After receiving tons of interest from people as far away as Cleveland, Ohio, Smathers believes he has found the perfect fit. While he wouldn’t release the name of the owners yet, he said the new restaurant, The Imperial, would be open by the end of May. Before they open, he is working on some improvements to the restaurant portion of the interior, including a fresh coat of paint and other minor repairs. Smathers said it was his understanding that many of the staff members for Sid’s would be staying on board with the new owners.
The new owners already started a Facebook page and stated the restaurant would include “a fresh southern menu, traditional yet full of modern surprises set in an energetic gathering space.”
