It’s Full Steam Ahead For New Delta Hotels Restaurant In Fredericton
FREDERICTON – More than 70 years ago, the steamers of the St. John River would stop at 36 places along the river – one of those stops is now the location of Delta Hotels by Marriott Fredericton’s new restaurant Stmr.36 BBQ and Social.
“[Stmr.36 pays] a little tribute to the steamship era,” food and beverage director, Greg Godfrey, said. “We were not stop 36, but we were one of those stops.”
Stmr.36 made its debut during the Covid-19 pandemic. The new restaurant has been busy, but they are currently only open Thursday through Sunday.
“[COVID-19 has] definitely been a challenge for sure,” said Greg Godfrey.
But the restaurant hits multiple demographics so Covid-19 hasn’t stopped all restaurant-goers.
“We want it really to be comfort food that you can come [eat] with your kids or you come with your friends or you can come in a dress [or] a suit,” Godfrey said.
“The vision was a place to come and have fun, enjoy yourself and have great food.”
In the startup phase, the Stmr.36 team went to Toronto and New York to take inspiration from some restaurant interiors.
They worked with mackaywong, a Toronto-based hospitality design firm on the look of the new restaurant.
“We wanted to do something that Fredericton didn’t have,” Godfrey said.
The food itself is an “experience.” In fact, the lead menu item is something called “the experience.” Groups of two or more can order and the staff will choose a selection of starter, main courses and desserts.
“They get to sample pretty much everything on the menu,” said Godfrey.
The menu is meat-heavy and mouth-watering, with items like “Burnt End Poutine” (brisket, crispy onion strings, cheese curds and gravy) and “Chef’s Badass Burger” (8 ounce burger, bread and butter pickles, cheddar, brisket, fried egg, battered onion rings, and garlic aioli.)
While the new restaurant is busy, it still must abide by all the health and safety rules put in place. Each table has an empty one next to it to ensure the six-feet distance is applied between bubbles.
“We have a very large restaurant that extends out into our lobby, so our capacity is still pretty good,” Godfrey said.
The travel ban has meant fewer hotel guests, which does affect traffic in the restaurant. But Godfrey says business will pick up even more now that the borders between Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are open.
“The opening up of the ‘Atlantic Bubble’ is a great thing,” Godfrey said.
“We’re seeing some great weekend business and we’re going to continue to see that as we get further into the summer.”