Moose Jaw's Hopkin's Dining Parlour is turning 40 this week, and owner Gladys Pierce says the anniversary brings up many memories. 

"The first thing we had to be very thankful for for the first quite a few years was the Snowbirds," said Pierce. "They were very good customers and enjoyed coming here."   

Even to this day, Pierce says members of the Snowbirds continue to stop in at Hopkins, even bringing friends and family by for a variety of celebratory reasons. 

Pierce said this summer was a busy one at Hopkins, as it always is, since the dining experience is such a unique experience for tourists. 

"We always have quite a busy summer because of tourists are here a lot. They're not going to all the franchise places because they've already been to all those and wherever they came from. They love the old house and we've had some wonderful comments from them." 

For those who may not already know, Hopkins Dining Parlour is a unique restaurant in Saskatchewan. It's set up in a residential dwelling with Victorian decor and antique furnishings.

The Wayne Pierce family purchased the house at 65 Athabasca St. W. in July 1978 and has been offering dining as well as afternoon tour experiences, and was also the first to offer chicken wings on the menu in the early days of business. 

Also offered at Hopkins are "ghost tours" that includes tales of a house ghost named Minnie Hopkins, house tours, and medieval-themed dinners every Friday in September and October every year. 

Pierce said the 40th anniversary this week means a busy schedule for her and her staff. Pierce also noted that she herself celebrated an anniversary of sorts this month - she turned 80 on Sept. 4. 

"It's not easy, I'll put it that way. For me, it's a continual seven day a week thing. We're always quite busy, and we enjoy seeing all of our customers old and new." 

After 40 years in business, Pierce had a bit of advice to share. 

"If it's what you love, stick to it. The main thing is to try and keep your customers happy. There's always going to be some that you're not gong to please, but if you can please the majority of them and enjoy them, I think that's probably the main thing." 

Hopkins Dining Parlour is open for lunch Tuesday - Saturday and dinner seven days a week.