The Latest Restaurant Opening In The Granite Centre This Summer
MONCTON – The man bringing a second Harvest Clean Eats to Moncton hopes to launch sometime this summer – or earlier, if possible.
Irwin Dawson told Huddle that a more specific timeline depends on how quickly he can find a general contractor. He said the biggest impediment to the fit-up work at the restaurant’s future home on Granite Drive, near Costco, is a shortage of available contractors.
Dawson, a Cornwall, P.E.I. native, is the franchisee behind three new Harvest Clean Eats locations coming to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick — in Amherst, Charlottetown, and Moncton. He is also the CEO of Islandsand Holdings Inc., a firm that specializes in opening and operating quick-service restaurants.
Harvest Clean Eats announced Dawson’s hiring on Jan. 9.
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“It’s not easy to get somebody, but it’s not their fault. They are just so busy,” said Dawson, who hails from Cornwall, P.E.I. “There just aren’t enough people available today.”
Harvest Clean Eats was launched in 2020. It has three locations in the Halifax area and opened its downtown-Moncton location at 679 Main Street in late November, 2022.
Dawson said the walls, electrical work, kitchen equipment installation, and décor remain to be done in the commercial plaza’s most recently constructed space at 10 Granite Drive.
Harvest Clean Eats will be sharing its future Granite Drive home with Subway and Blaze Pizza – both of which are also franchises Dawson is responsible for.
Dawson isn’t the only business person bringing a restaurant to Granite Drive who has faced contractor-related delays.
Charlene Michelin, owner and operator of Wing’n It, faced similar snarls in progress thanks to difficulty she faced finding people to do the work – a dilemma that eventually forced her to take on the general contractor role herself to meet deadlines.
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Dawson admits that doesn’t care much for salads, which makes the bowl-style meals that Harvest specializes in an easy way to tick off nutritional boxes while having something that eats like a full meal.
“They have a great product, and so they’re popping up all over the place,” he said. “It’s a chance to have a great meal and improve your day.”
While he was not able to provide the seating numbers or square footage of the location Harvest will occupy later this year, Dawson hopes to hire about 15 staff.
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When asked if the popularity of the Granite Center – a piece of commercial real estate leasing up at lightning speed that has been compared to Dartmouth Crossing – was a motivating force behind choosing a second location, Dawson said that “restaurants like to be where people are” and deferred further questions to Harvest’s franchisor and co-founder, Connor Stoilov.
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Dawson said he is excited to be at the helm of the process of opening, noting he’s optimistic about bringing the health-conscious offering to the area.
“It’s great food that you can eat every day, and feel good about it.”
Sam Macdonald is a Huddle reporter in Moncton. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].