Charlottetown sees flurry of new restaurant openings

Like spring flowers, new eating places are opening up throughout Charlottetown.

Richard Courtroom, operator of Pilot Home, is opening up a brand new seafood restaurant known as Sea Rocket within the previous Anne of Inexperienced Gables retailer on Victoria Row. He describes all the brand new openings as pent-up demand — from restaurateurs, not from clients.

“We had a few years of nothing opening. Many individuals had plans and did not get to them,” Courtroom advised Island Morning‘s Wayne Thibodeau.

“With every part opening up and folks realizing they’ve survived the pandemic they’re like, let’s do one thing new. Let’s put these tasks again in play.”

Larger income

P.E.I. eating places have fared comparatively effectively throughout the pandemic.

In response to Statistics Canada, the province’s 17.3 per cent drop in restaurant revenues was one of many lowest within the nation, and effectively beneath the Canadian common of 25.5 per cent. Whereas eating places have been open they did effectively general, with a 5.5 per cent revenue margin, scarcely modified from 2019 and the best within the nation.

Most provinces had income beneath three per cent in 2020. P.E.I. eating places had larger income than these in another province from 2016 to 2020.

That appears to have Island restaurateurs bullish in regards to the future.

Brett Hogan, operator of Hopyard on Kent Road, simply opened the Italian eatery Abbiocco throughout the road.

Kent Road has seen lots of new openings since Hopyard launched in 2016 — Upstreet has a location there, and the brand new Arts Resort has a few venues — and Hogan mentioned that is an excellent factor.

“We do not take a look at it as competitors in any respect, the brand new folks which are coming into Kent Road,” he mentioned.

“We welcome it, and we wish to make it extra of a vacation spot.”

Staffing, provide chain points

However the pandemic continues to be presenting challenges.

Primarily it is about staffing, and that is not completely a brand new drawback, mentioned Anuj Thapa, who operates Himalayan off College Avenue 

Thapa simply opened Metropolis Kitchen, an Asian meals restaurant, on the website of the previous Beanz cafe on Nice George.

“It takes some time for brand spanking new folks, to show [them],” he mentioned.

“As soon as we prepare, after two or three years, folks might change their career. That is an ongoing course of for us.”

However the pandemic has made it worse, an issue that is been seen throughout the continent.

“There would not appear to be as a lot staff as there was a few years in the past, pre-pandemic,” mentioned Hogan.

“I feel lots of cooks particularly have switched into extra of a 9-to-5 function someplace, obtained out of the business. Hopefully we’ll see a few of them come again.”

Abbiocco simply employed 30 employees, he mentioned, and that is going to place stress on seasonal eating places seeking to rent within the coming weeks.

The pandemic has additionally disrupted provide chains, which is especially problematic for Metropolis Kitchen, mentioned Thapa.

“[We’re] utilizing a number of spices from totally different components of the world and nonetheless we aren’t capable of get all these items on the Island,” he mentioned.

Deliveries may be unsure, mentioned Thapa, and costs are going up.

Meals prices are up throughout the board, and whereas the Island tourism business is anticipating extra of a traditional season this 12 months, with inflation excessive eating places should be inventive as shoppers look to maintain bills down.