In what has been a trying time for businesses in the ByWard Market, Dunn’s Famous Deli on Dalhousie Street is facing uncertainty as the ownership group looks for someone to purchase the building.
The establishment has called the corner of Dalhousie and George streets home for more than 15 years, but now the future of the restaurant is unclear.
It is the latest business in the historic Ottawa neighbourhood to face uncertainty, after more than half a dozen other establishments shuttered their doors over the past several months.
Not only are shops and restaurants feeling a financial burden, so too is Jean-Francois Lapierre, a busker in the area who is frequently seen playing his violin and drum in the ByWard Market.
“I’m like the canary in the coal mine. If it’s bad for me, it’s not good for the vendors. I talk with them, and they have a hard time. Me, I’m the lucky guy because I don’t pay a huge price to rent a place,” he said.
“If it’s not good, I just walk away and play somewhere else. I have a car so I can even go out of town. I’m a free bird. But those guys here have a hard time sometimes.”
Meanwhile, some are approaching the recent changes in the ByWard Market with a greater sense of optimism.
“It has received some of the harshest impacts of what we’ve all been through collectively, but I think there’s also a tremendous amount of opportunity,” said Sueling Ching, President and CEO of the Ottawa Board of Trade.
“We have a tremendous amount of infrastructure investment happening right now in Ottawa that’s going to drive jobs, that’s going to highlight what we have to offer here. So, there are a lot of opportunities and that’s what we want to focus on moving forward.”
The Andaz Hotel is one such building undergoing a significant infrastructural transformation.
Other restaurants like Grey’s Social Eatery, which will be opening in the location Blue Cactus used to call home, are aiming to breath new life into the area.
“I see a lot of investment going into that area, and I know it never happens as quickly as we hope, but we also have encouraged people to think of it as an urgent matter,” said Ching.
“We also hear a lot of stories from people who are optimistic about the market. Maybe even investors and entrepreneurs who may not have otherwise considered this market.”
Grey’s Social Eatery is aiming to start operating inside the Blue Cactus location by the end of February and Beyond the Pale Brewing opened a taproom inside the former Courtyard Restaurant.
Meanwhile, Philthy Philly’s, a Canadian cheesesteak sandwich and poutine restaurant, has plans to open a location at the former Saslove’s Meat Market location by this summer.
