ALBERTON
Shifting from landlord for a restaurant to owner of a new restaurant has been quite the eye-opening experience, Joey Carragher admits.
The Sidewalk Grill restaurant was already operating when Carragher purchased the building it was in four years ago. When that restaurant closed at Christmastime, Carragher undertook a major renovation of the space, intent on reopening Feb. 1. “It was either a vacant building or do something with it,” he said. Because he owns the building, reopening a restaurant was a means to protecting his investment. He has seen Main Street rebound over the past four years and is encouraged by the level of optimism in town and by a town council “that seems to be working hard towards development.”
The new-look restaurant, now with a larger footprint, longer name - Sidewalk Grill Restaurant and Lounge - and new products, opened March 21.
There were no holdups, he said. The preparations, the paperwork and the licensing just took longer to complete than he anticipated. And springtime, he suggests in retrospect, is probably a better time to open a restaurant than in the dead of winter.
The restaurant, managed by Sandra Arsenault, is now licensed and has added pizza to the menu.
As part of the renovations, Carragher relocated his JC’s Handyman hardware supply store out of the building and into a storefront he purchased beside the curling club. That business has reopened, too.
By taking over the hardware supply space, it allowed for a 600-square foot expansion of the restaurant and a larger kitchen. There’s seating for 75, including three booths. Paintings decorating the walls were supplied by local art studio owner, Sara Lee Perry, and are available for purchase.
Carragher is both encouraged and humbled by the support his new restaurant has received in its first week, and apologetic, too. There was such a crush of customers that he had to discontinue take-out service on the weekend just so that his staff could keep up with the restaurant’s diners. Some of the restaurant’s 15 staff members were doing double shifts to help keep up with the demand. Take-outs are being accepted again.
Joey and his wife Lisa Carragher are also hoping to arrange lounge entertainment for at least one night a week. Last weekend they had close to 65 people in for entertainment by Bruce Jones and Robert Jones. This Saturday Robbie Thibodeau will be entertaining. Kim Albert and Michael Arsenault are on their April schedule.
This summer Lisa Carragher and her sister, Leona Perry, who have down Down at the Shore productions at Tignish Shore will be offering a new production – history, music, comedy and desserts - once or twice a week at the new restaurant.
Sidewalk Grill is available for special events and there are already some bookings.
The restaurant has a dining room liquor license until 9 p.m. and then it shifts to a lounge license.
