Restaurants at Saint John’s boardwalk outside Market Square have been hit hard for the past couple of years.
First, it was the COVID-19 pandemic, and now construction of the Fundy Quay development has disassembled restaurant patios.
However, beginning in June, the City of Saint John will open an interim patio season at the boardwalk.
“It will be exciting, particularly when we have the Memorial Cup being hosted in Saint John this year, so we will have the ability to still have a patio season, and allow our restaurants who have been heavily impacted through COVID-19 to thrive during this period,” said Brent McGovern, infrastructure commissioner for the City of Saint John.
The plan for the interim patio season has boardwalk patio owners and operators excited.
“The temporary patios for this season are going to be a lifeboat to get us through another year because the patios for the last couple of years during COVID-19 kept us operational and open,” said Corey McGill, who owns and operates McGill’s.
Although the boardwalk will not have its typical entertainment program, McGill added the new patios being developed for the future are a “game-changer” for the area.
The interim patio season will run until the fall.
