Construction blamed for ruining Pembroke, Ont. restaurant's summer business

The Nelson Street Pub in Pembroke says it has lost more than 70 per cent of its business due to construction.

Restaurant owner Cory Moorehead says roadwork on Nelson Street started in June and has ruined his patio season.

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"When you look down the street you just see trucks and [customers] think you're closed," says Moorehead.

"Last July, we did $110,000 for the month in sales. This July, we're at $30,000."

Many tables in the popular riverside pub now sit empty during lunch and dinner rush hours. Moorehead says he's had to cut hours for staff due to a lack of customers coming into his establishment.

"This was a place full of fun and people, packed every single day for lunch, supper, everything else, it was fun. Now it's just depressing and empty."

Before construction started, access to the restaurant was available from the east and west along Nelson Street, and from the south via Maple Ave and John Street. Now 'road closed' signs block off all three directions.

"Nelson Street is a full reconstruction," says Pembroke Mayor Ron Gervais.

"That means it's not like some of the other projects where it's a shave and pave, where they're just eliminating some asphalt and putting in some nice new asphalt. It's replacement of storm, it's replacement of sewers, it's replacement of water."

Customers still interested in patronizing The Nelson Street Pub either after to park outside of the construction zone and walk through the torn up roads, or drive past the road closed signs and over the construction terrain.

"No, we weren't sure (it was open)," responded Nancy Paris who made her way to the restaurant for lunch Wednesday. "And we had to avoid a lot of detours to get here and when we got here we found that it was open."

On Thursday evening, the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce is hosting a ticketed event at The Nelson Street Pub in an effort to drum up extra business and salvage what's left of the summer.

"With detours, you don't have the drive by traffic for those impulse shoppers," said Kelly Hollihan, executive director at the UOV Chamber of Commerce.

"You don't necessarily have the people from out of the area, the tourists who are in the area for this summer."

Tickets for the event are $25 and can be purchased online or at the door (upperottawavalleychamber.com). A purchase of a ticket will get customers one drink, appetizers, and a 10 per cent discount on the next visit. Randa Teschner will perform live music.

All proceeds from the event will go to The Nelson Street Pub.

"We're barely making it by, like, barely," says Moorehead, of his month-to-month business. "It's $1,000 we have left over for profit."

The city says the construction of Nelson Street is on track but isn't expected to wrap up until mid to late October.

"Yes, I know it's different than having traffic flowing to and from in front of his business, I get that," says Gervais. "But the work's got to get done and then afterwards, it'll be a beautiful stretch of road."