Town’s End Tavern Shelved ‘Indefinitely’
DARTMOUTH—Renée Lavallée and Doug Townsend have “indefinitely” shelved their plans to open a second restaurant on Portland Street in downtown Dartmouth.
The owners of The Canteen on Portland had planned to open Town’s End Tavern in the early spring but delayed the project because of Covid-19.
Yesterday, the pair announced on Instagram they were giving up on the project in the face of “very real” challenges presented by the pandemic.
“This was easily one of the most difficult decisions of our lives,” they wrote. “We have poured a significant amount of time, emotion and money into this project and we have agonized over this decision since [Covid-19] became our new reality.”
Town’s End Tavern would have occupied the former site of Best Kept Secret, at 21 Portland Street. When he and Lavallée first announced plans for the project, Townsend told Huddle they had had their eyes on the property for a while.
“It was always known the potential of that property there, and it’s location, being one of the first major properties that people would see when they’re coming up from the harbour,” he said.
Their idea was to create a “neighborhood pub” with a menu of mostly traditional pub fare (think nachos and chicken wings), a healthy dose of local seafood dishes, and a few twists thrown in.
“We know we can operate a great establishment, and it’s kind of nerve-racking to think that somebody else directly across the street from us may not have the same vision or values as us,” Townsend said.
Although they were forced to give up on Town’s End, Lavallée and Townsend said they feel “extremely fortunate” that their flagship restaurant, the Canteen, is still thriving.
“Despite the excruciating reality of having to say goodbye to a dream project, we’re very well aware of the fact that we are still living the dream. The Canteen has become more than we ever could have imagined. We work with the most amazing people, we serve the most incredible guests and we’re part of a community that is quickly becoming one of the best places in the world to live,” they said.
They said they’re confident things will slowly return to normal “and new opportunities will emerge.” However, for now, they plan to stay “completely focused on the well-being of our team, our family, and the community that we serve.”