Owners of Erie Beach Hotel and The Arbor looking for a buyer

Andrew, Pam, and Tony Schneider in front of the Erie Beach Hotel on Walker Street last Saturday. The owners say they are planning for retirement and are looking for a buyer; they also say the process will take time and they remain on the job and the businesses continue to operate as usual.

FOR their response to the rumours in Port Dover this winter that the Erie Beach Hotel and The Arbor restaurant are for sale, The Maple Leaf met with Andrew, Pam and Tony Schneider, owners of the Erie Beach Hotel and The Arbor.

The trio confirmed it’s true. There is no buyer at the present time and they know the process will take time, but they all said they’re ready to find a new owner for the restaurants and retire.

“It’s time,” Andrew said. “Time for us to transition to the next stages of our lives. We can’t run these restaurants forever, and the sooner we sort out what’s next, the sooner we can all make that transition.”

The Schneider brothers—whose home was inside the hotel during the early years of their lives—said retirement has been a long time coming for them.

Tony remembers starting his restaurant career in the mid-1970s pouring water for guests in The Cove Room in a white shirt and bow tie around age 10 when it was owned by their parents, Tony Sr. and Betty. They’ve been working at the family’s restaurants ever since.

“We’ve had full careers and then some,” Tony said. “We’re coming up on 50 years.”

Tony moved over to running The Arbor at age 19 when it was purchased from Vic and Vern Ryerse in 1984. Andrew has always worked at the Erie Beach Hotel and with his wife, Pam, purchased the business in 2000 from his parents. Combined, they have a century’s worth of experience serving customers food and beverages on Walker and Main streets.

“That’s a lot of fish dinners, celery bread, hot dogs, and Golden Glows,” Andrew said.

It’s not that they haven’t enjoyed their time helming the restaurants.

Tony says he loves working with “my kids,” referring to the summer students The Arbor employs to staff the restaurant. To him, one of the best parts of his job is “watching them grow into young adults, seeing them spread their wings and fly.”

Andrew enjoys welcoming people to the restaurants, working with his staff, growing the business with additions such as the new outdoor patio, and takes pride in providing quality food and service for customers and hotel guests.

Both brothers are happy to have continued their parents’ and grandparents’ legacy, which goes back to Harold and Marjorie Schneider purchasing the Erie Beach Hotel in 1946. Since then, each generation of owners has added their own improvements to the business. Tony Sr. and Betty added the Terrace Room kitchen and Andrew and Pam added the Perch Patio.

The Schneiders say it is “a great joy” to have served countless customers who come from all over to eat at these iconic Port Dover restaurants.

That’s not to say there haven’t been challenges over the years. They’ve faced issues from staff shortages to perch shortages, road construction, fires and floods, and steered their businesses through a recession and a global pandemic.

It was during the years of COVID-19 when the family first started to consider retirement after many decades in business. The owners said they feel “it’s now time to pass on the ownership of these businesses in an orderly way.”

All three feel they’re ready to focus on something new. Andrew and Pam are new grandparents and would like more time to spend with family.

“Some parts of life are bigger than work, and we’d like to be able to enjoy them. It’s hard to be present when you’re always on-call,” Pam said.

The Erie Beach Hotel and The Arbor occupy two blocks plus about half of a third block in the waterfront area of Port Dover. The restaurants and motel rooms are located in one of the blocks. The second block contains Arbortown Mini-golf and green space. The third parcel of land is the Erie Beach Hotel parking lot off Main Street.

The Schneiders did not provide their asking price for any of the businesses or properties but said they have had many inquiries about them over the years and are open to offers for the whole package or parts of it.

They hope someone would like to purchase the restaurants and build on their traditions while adding their own improvements.


Originally published February 12, 2025

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