Port City Royal Becomes A Café By Day With Marjorie’s
SAINT JOHN – For several years now, Port City Royal has been a staple hot spot for delicious East Coast cuisine and crafted cocktails and drinks in Uptown Saint John.
But owner Jakob Lutes is hoping to use the restaurant space in a new way during the day with a café called Marjorie’s, which is named after his grandmother.
Operating out of 45 Grannan Street, Marjorie’s offers coffee, breakfast foods, and fresh-made pastries from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.
Lutes, who is also head chef of Port City Royal says the idea of turning the restaurant into a café during the day was a long-time coming. Since the winter months are generally slower for the restaurant, they decided now was the time to try it out.
“In some respects, we had a bit more time on our hands. We get bored easily, so we felt it was a natural progression,” said Lutes. “We felt that the use of our space throughout the day isn’t really being utilized, so why not do something?”
Lutes runs Marjorie’s along with coffee enthusiasts Tom Spencer and Charlie Conn.
“Their primary passion is coffee among others and mine is food. So why not smash them together and try to do something?'” said Lutes.
“It was kind of like an ‘ah-ha’ moment for everybody, so why not give it a shot? We really don’t have much to lose.”
The idea of running two types of eateries out of one location is not unheard of in Uptown Saint John. For instance, Lemon Grass, a Thai food restaurant, is run out the same location as Peppers Pub. For years, the popular Italian By Night used to operate out of Urban Deli in the evenings. Up until about two years ago, Bourbon Quarter and Magnolia Cafe (Now Cask and Kettle) operated side-by-side on Prince William Street.
“There’s still establishments globally that do that same sort of thing. We felt there was definitely a case study for it, so why not attempt it ourselves?” said Lutes.
“It allows me to continue to do the things that we want to do with Port City Royal, which is being as local as possible and using that as a catalyst for creativity and rethinking what hospitality is and what an evening and nightlife is.”
Though Port City Royal is usually a busy spot from supper time onwards for the city’s nighttime crowds, Lutes says he wants Marjorie’s to attract those who are in the uptown during the day. The goal is to create an atmosphere during that time for people to come in, stay, and perhaps get some work done.
“We really like the idea of just taking our time providing an ambiance as well as a product that allows people to sit and stay awhile,” said Lutes. “Maybe focus in on the process a little more, while still attempting to provide breakfast and pastry items at a speedy rate.”
Though there are several other places to grab a coffee within a two-block radius of Grannan Street, offering that café experience is what Lutes says sets Marjorie’s apart.
“We’re not a coffee shop. We’re a café. Although in the North American mindset a café might be a coffee shop, in a traditional European setting, a cafe is all-encompassing. It’s morning until night, hitting every meal and in-between meal you might be able to hit,” he says.
“Also acting as a springboard for creativity. Some of the oldest cafes in Paris were stomping grounds for the most prolific artists in history. If we consider ourselves and artistic community, it would be nice to have a place where you can sit and not be bothered and stay and enjoy a cup of coffee and not feel as though you need to purchase something just to stay.”
Lutes says he remembers creating his business plan for Port City Royal while sitting inside the Second Cup just down the street. He says creating more variety of spaces like that is important if Saint John plans to grow.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with Second Cup, obviously it helped me, but why not another spot? If we expect the population to increase, we need more places to do that. Not just more, but different feelings and different moods,” says Lutes. “I know for me, I work with people to create a space initially to do that. It never really unfolded exactly the way I wanted to in terms of the all-day, but now’s the time to make that happen.”