[St. John's] Restaurant Thread

[wmemeadusjr]

Originally Posted by djslue

Dennys Coming Here ?

The Sandman's original proposal included 2 restaurants....one inside the main hotel building and another as a free standing building in the parking lot. It has been widely speculated that these will be Moxie's and Denny's. Which will be inside or outside, I don't know.

[J_Murphy]

Anyone know what is going on with the former Velmas/Eat Clean location on Water Street. Looks like some extensive work going on, and who ever is doing it is properly refinishing the exterior instead of slapping some green paint on it and putting a sticker over the former sign

[frisbee]

The answer to both the Sandman and the former Velma's/Eat Clean inquiries are in past issues of the subscription news site allnewfoundlandlabrador.com

The sandman freestanding building will be another of the Cara foods empire to set up on Kenmount Road, and Yellowbelly has plans for the former velma's space.

[Marty_Mcfly]

Originally Posted by J_Murphy

Anyone know what is going on with the former Velmas/Eat Clean location on Water Street. Looks like some extensive work going on, and who ever is doing it is properly refinishing the exterior instead of slapping some green paint on it and putting a sticker over the former sign

The rumor about Velmas location is that Yellowbelly will be moving a smaller operation there. Beer sales, maybe a tap room.

[statbass]

Looks like Relish Burger is finally done in, which is unfortunate. I've eaten there a couple of times and the burgers were great but just too darn expensive. I can't justify spending $25 for a burger and fries. Although the economic downturn can be partially to blame, you can't help but feel sorry for the owner. The construction of the convention centre really cut into his business. Hopefully he can bounce back, most entrepreneurs are very resilient and love the risk/reward challenge.

Source: CBC NL
Author: Zach Goudie
Aug 22, 2016

A gourmet burger restaurant in downtown St. John's has gone out of business.

Relish was known for its creative toppings and lively atmosphere, but a sign recently posted on the front door says the restaurant will be closed until further notice.

Inside, the tables, chairs and kitchen equipment have been stacked up.

Sign at Relish St. John's
Notice of closure in the window of Relish, St. John's. (Zach Goudie/CBC)

Chef Roger Andrews, who owned and operated the Relish St. John's franchise, did not return calls for comment. The restaurant's website still lists locations in Vancouver, Halifax and Fredericton.

In 2015, Andrews told CBC that construction at the nearby St. John's Convention Centre was hurting his business.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfou...osed-1.3731133

[J_Murphy]

Originally Posted by statbass

Looks like Relish Burger is finally done in, which is unfortunate. I've eaten there a couple of times and the burgers were great but just too darn expensive. I can't justify spending $25 for a burger and fries. Although the economic downturn can be partially to blame, you can't help but feel sorry for the owner. The construction of the convention centre really cut into his business. Hopefully he can bounce back, most entrepreneurs are very resilient and love the risk/reward challenge.
]

Although I didn't go there often, I did like it. I didn't think it was that expensive. I thought a combo was in the $15-20 range....but hey, a combo at Wendy's is $10 or more these days. A burger at BP or Montanas will run you $15-20.

I think location may have been an issue, parking wasn't great around there and he was just enough removed from where most of the downtown foot traffic is. I think the convention centre construction thing was only temporary, and being that close to it in the future may have helped them. Conference delegates usually look for places that are close by to eat.

The opening of Boston Pizza and all the other competition these days downtown may be a big factor in their demise.

[Sox]

Totally DISAGREE with the convention centre being the cause of this place going out of Business. They had Zero parking anyway, and the location was terrible to begin with, so the fact that the road had construction happening wasn't the cause. If anything, the presence of up to a hundred construction guys everyday on your doorstep should have been a godsend to these guys !!!
Bottom line is, this place was too damn expensive, had terrible curb appeal (by that I mean, the Business sign didn't attract any attention ), and was too far away from the daily foot traffic of downtown.
Combine this, with the openings of Bier Markt, Boston Pizza, Jack Astor's and Fish Exchange --- and you are doomed . Also the same reasons as to why Humphry's also closed which was basically next door.

[Arrakis]

Guys, what's the story with the Burger King on Ropewalk Lane. Things seem to have come to a stand still yet again. This project has taken well over a year to construct which is weird. Something seems rather sketchy here.

[statbass]

Originally Posted by Sox

Totally DISAGREE with the convention centre being the cause of this place going out of Business. They had Zero parking anyway, and the location was terrible to begin with, so the fact that the road had construction happening wasn't the cause. If anything, the presence of up to a hundred construction guys everyday on your doorstep should have been a godsend to these guys !!!
Bottom line is, this place was too damn expensive, had terrible curb appeal (by that I mean, the Business sign didn't attract any attention ), and was too far away from the daily foot traffic of downtown.
Combine this, with the openings of Bier Markt, Boston Pizza, Jack Astor's and Fish Exchange --- and you are doomed . Also the same reasons as to why Humphry's also closed which was basically next door.

Very good points, I stand corrected. Maybe the construction thing was a scapegoat for the owner. However, you hate to see small business fail as it's the cornerstone of the local economy. All the best to him in his future endeavors.

[wmemeadusjr]

Originally Posted by Arrakis

Guys, what's the story with the Burger King on Ropewalk Lane. Things seem to have come to a stand still yet again. This project has taken well over a year to construct which is weird. Something seems rather sketchy here.

I pass by it almost every evening and it rarely changes. I did notice some ducting and an HVAC unit in the back lot the other day. The Dairy Queen at the North Atlantic in Southlands seems to be going down the same road.

[PoscStudent]

Originally Posted by Sox

Totally DISAGREE with the convention centre being the cause of this place going out of Business. They had Zero parking anyway, and the location was terrible to begin with, so the fact that the road had construction happening wasn't the cause. If anything, the presence of up to a hundred construction guys everyday on your doorstep should have been a godsend to these guys !!!
Bottom line is, this place was too damn expensive, had terrible curb appeal (by that I mean, the Business sign didn't attract any attention ), and was too far away from the daily foot traffic of downtown.
Combine this, with the openings of Bier Markt, Boston Pizza, Jack Astor's and Fish Exchange --- and you are doomed . Also the same reasons as to why Humphry's also closed which was basically next door.

I disagree that it was a bad location. It was next to two hotels, city hall and two large office buildings. (Plus now the convention centre is finished) Curb appeal wasn't the greatest nor was parking. The price seemed a bit expensive but I think that was moreso because people aren't use to paying so much for a hamburger.

With all that said, I think that particular location needs to appeal to the lunchtime market. While people may not mind spending $20 on a hamburger if they're going out to supper, during the daytime people want a quick affordable meal. I know people who work in the two office buildings across the road who find they don't have great lunchtime options because they don't have time to walk to the downtown core where the restaurants are.

[elizabethf1985]

Originally Posted by Marty_Mcfly

The rumor about Velmas location is that Yellowbelly will be moving a smaller operation there. Beer sales, maybe a tap room.

I was passing by one day and stopped and asked a worker what was going in the space and he said it was Yellowbelly opening another location to sell beer and also do pizzas. That was a few weeks ago.

[Engibeer]

Originally Posted by elizabethf1985

I was passing by one day and stopped and asked a worker what was going in the space and he said it was Yellowbelly opening another location to sell beer and also do pizzas. That was a few weeks ago.

Yep, a bartender from Yellowbelly told me it's going to be a pizza take out place. Interesting...

[jthetzel]

Real Mexican food might be coming to town. Soul Azteca expects to open in Saigon Bistro's location on 11 Freshwater Road later this year. In the meantime, Soul Azteca will offer a few popups and hopes to open a stand at the Farmers' Market. Head chef is an Albertan, but the food is strongly influenced by his wife and mother-in-law, both from Guadalajara.

http://theovercast.ca/soul-azteka-au...arving-for-it/

[Sox]

Looks like PIZZA HUT in Churchill Square may be Closed down.

Called yesterday to place an order around 3 o'clock, and was told only Topsail Road was available, that Churchill was "Closed". I am assuming that they meant the store was shut down, (IE Gone out of Business ) and that it wasn't just closed for the day.

Does anybody know anything to confirm

[Sox]

The dairy queen by Southlands is very near opening. Drove by this morning, on the way to work, and it looked like the Drive Thru Lane (which they had to create) was being leveled off by an excavator (probably the last step before Paving the drive thru). All the outside looks basically finished except for the lack of signage.

I would say that it will be open within 2 weeks.

[tch1005]

It appears that Subway on Hamilyn Ave is now open, and the old one on Topsail has closed, and signage removed.

[Sox]

There is a Hamlyn Road, and a Hamilton Ave --- but no Hamilyn Ave.

Pretty sure you are referring to Hamlyn Rd, on the corner of the Village parking lot. :>

[statbass]

Originally Posted by Sox

There is a Hamlyn Road, and a Hamilton Ave --- but no Hamilyn Ave.

Pretty sure you are referring to Hamlyn Rd, on the corner of the Village parking lot. :>

I believe OP meant Hamlyn Rd. I noticed this location recently. It's adjacent to the Village Mall close to the Sportchek entrance.

[Sox]

Does anybody know anything about "Artisan Pizza", on Water Street ?

Its been under construction for quite some time now, and looks to me like things have stalled . They are opening a business in a very crowded niche market at the moment, and have some well established heavy hitters to compete against ( Pi, Evoo in the courtyard, Piatto ). Also opening next door, rumour has it Yellowbelly is opening a Pizza/Beer joint as well.

Anybody with any intel ?