Popular Saskatoon café to close its doors this month

One of the city’s most well-known cafés will close its doors at the end of the month.

(Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

Drift Saskatoon’s last day of business will be on Jan. 29, the café announced on social media this week.

“It is with heavy hearts that we have to announce that we are closing our doors,” the message read.

The management of the café and lounge, which is known for its colourful rooftop balloon, said the business has meant a lot to many people over the years, and thanked all those involved in making Drift what it is today.

“We’ve had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories, friendships, and connections here,” the farewell post read.

For regulars like Payton Eckert, Drift is more than just a cozy local café. She said it’s a place she comes to study, hang out with friends, drink coffee and have heart-to-heart conversations.

Eckert, who was at Drift sharing brunch with her parents Thursday, said she’s sad to see one of her favourite places disappear.

“It’s one of the places that made Saskatoon feel like home,” she said.

Eckert said Drift features a colourful, inviting environment, and it feels like “walking into a rainbow.”

The servers’ warm and inviting personalities are also going to be missed by Eckert, she said.

“It’s nice to come into a restaurant where the servers don’t really feel like servers,” she added.

She recommended trying the mushroom gravy poutine before the café closes, which she said is perfect for individuals with an intolerance to meat.

Luckily, regulars won’t have to go too long without picking up a specialty coffee. Junior Cafe, a coffee shop located on Broadway Avenue, also announced on Instagram Wednesday they will be working with Drift to open a second coffee shop in the space, adding that a special project for the upper level will be revealed soon.

“We have always loved this beautiful space and deeply appreciate all the thought and detail that was put into creating it,” the owners of Junior wrote in the post.

A manager at Junior confirmed they will be taking over the space, but didn’t have any more details to share at this time.

In its farewell post, Drift noted that gift cards will still be honoured.