Wareham’s Iconic Vel’s Family Restaurant Is Up For Sale

WAREHAM (WBSM) — One of Wareham’s longest-running, family-owned restaurants is on the market, as a real estate listing has emerged for the iconic Vel’s Family Restaurant and Lounge.

The restaurant and the accompanying one-bedroom home behind it are listed for $1.3 million. It remains open despite being for sale.

Vel’s, owned and operated by the Bump family, has been an institution on the Cranberry Highway in West Wareham since 1964. Drive by any time of day, and you’ll see that the parking lot is packed with cars.

It's one of the longest-tenured restaurants in town, especially after the closing of Lindsey's a few years ago before it was reborn as Towne Tavern and Tap.

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They say the measure of a good restaurant in a touristy town is whether or not the locals themselves eat there, and if that’s true, perhaps no other spot in the Gateway to Cape Cod has the cache that Vel’s has.

Most Wareham residents, or really anyone from the area, has their share of Vel’s memories. I had many dates there in high school, almost always ordering the humongous chicken parmigiana dinner.

I’ll always most fondly remember Vel’s as the place where I had my first (legal) alcoholic beverage; on the day I turned 21, my parents took me there at around 4 p.m. and we all sat at the bar while I sipped on my Jack and Coke and we watched afternoon game shows on the TV over the bar. What can I say, I’m a party animal.

Vel’s is known for large portions and affordable prices, serving up no-frills comfort food like steak tips and prime rib, Italian fare and seafood.

The restaurant building itself was built in 1940, and has over 4,500 square feet of space with two dining/function areas and a bar/lounge area. You can see photos on the commercial property listing.

It’s not often that a restaurant with the staying power of Vel’s goes up for sale. We placed a call to the restaurant and plan to get more information from the owners in the coming days as to what the future holds for this beloved SouthCoast staple.

UPDATE: Vel's Owners Reveal Why They Decided to Sell