For Award-Winning Moncton Restaurant, Collaboration Is Key
MONCTON – Euston Park Social’s collaboration with the rest of New Brunswick’s hospitality industry and local producers are at the core of its strength and success, says co-founder Gene Cormier.
Cormier said the connections Euston Park forged with other hospitality sector businesses and local New Brunswick producers have allowed it to flourish in spite of the pandemic – and clinch a top-three finalist spot in the 2022 Canadian Tourism Awards for small business of the year earlier this month.
“We have fun finding collaborations and have a lot of creative conversations with some of our partners,” said Cormier, a chef by trade and passionate foodie.
“We continue to use and support local products, producers, and suppliers as much as possible. Recognition for us is recognition for all of those companies we work with – we can’t make it happen without those people.”
Euston Park Social was founded in 2019 by Cormier and his wife Susan, who were Huddle 2019 Moncton newsmakers and 2020 Business people of the year. It’s one of several businesses owned by the husband-wife duo (others include the now-closed Clos restaurant and Halo Donuts, with two locations in Moncton).
Cormier said Euston Park’s connections to other businesses in New Brunswick include collaborations and pop-up events, with local brewers whose beers they have on tap at Euston Park’s iconic sea container beer gardens.
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“Hospitality works not just in a silo, independent from everything else. It works through collaboration, builds, and it creates interest in those companies and into the hospitality and food service,” he said.
“There are so many different flavours now and so many different restaurants and things like that.”
These collaborations with other industry partners include 20 kilograms of donuts baked by Halo donuts that went into an upcoming beer from Tire Shack Brewing Company celebrating its third anniversary.
“It’s a great example of people working together towards a common goal, which is having quality hospitality offerings,” he said.
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Cormier said Euston Park had to fit an array of criteria to secure a berth amid the top-three national finalist in the national-level competition hosted by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.
“It can be the quality of the offering that you have, or the innovation that you’ve done in your establishment – it can be HR practices, it can inclusion,” Cormier said of the criteria.
“We’re super-excited to be part of these renewed things that are happening within the hospitality sector over the last couple of years.”
The national recognition Euston Park has received follows the success of its fourth beer garden at Parlee Beach, near Shediac, and as it prepares to launch a winter market for the next three weekends, at 5 Euston Street berth in downtown Moncton.
“This is another aspect of where we tie in the communities, with a host of different small artisan craftspeople or small business people that will have stalls there,” he noted.
Cormier credited features like the concerts and activities hosted at their beach beer garden as contributing to their national recognition.
“We had the opportunity to operate a food and beverage business next to the beach in one of the most popular provincial parks in Canada,” he said.
“We continue to try and build a program that kind of suits the needs of tourists and locals alike.”
RELATED: Euston Park Social To Return To Shediac For Summer Beer Garden
“As we move forward, being recognized by our peers and industry leaders really lets us know that we’re doing good things and we’re doing it right here in New Brunswick,” said Cormier.
“We’re so happy to be able to provide hospitality and show people from outside the province a little taste of New Brunswick.”
Sam Macdonald is a Huddle reporter in Moncton. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].