Waterfront fish-and-chips restaurant coming to Fairhaven, bar favorite reopening as well
A new restaurant is coming to the Bellingham Cruise Terminal, but the ownership will have a familiar ring to it.
Drew Schmidt, who operates San Juan Cruises as well as the gift shop Salish Trading Post in the building, has reached a lease agreement with the Port of Bellingham to take over the former StrEAT Food space.
Schmidt, a port tenant for 30 years, is planning to open Port Fairhaven Fish-n-Chips in June. The menu will focus on affordably priced fish and chips. It will also have beer-battered cod, halibut, clam strips, shrimp, calamari, coleslaw and clam chowder. Also on the menu is chicken strips for the non-seafood eaters.
Once open it will offer lunch and dinner with customers ordering at the counter or online, then eating at the nearby tables and pier or taking their meals to go.
While Schmidt is new to having a restaurant at the terminal, his cruise tours are well-known for meals, including crab dinners. San Juan Cruises averages about 15,000 meals a year, including lunches.
Getting Port Fairhaven going will happen as San Juan Cruises gears up for its season. Schmidt said in an email that they are hopeful heading into the season as the COVID-19 pandemic situation continues to improve locally and more people are vaccinated. The first cruise will be Saturday, April 10, with crab lunch cruises out of La Conner going to Deception Pass during the Tulip Festival.
“The phones are starting to ring and we’re hearing a lot of optimism and excitement from folks ready to get back to enjoying life,” Schmidt said.
Here’s a roundup of other recent retail activity around Whatcom County:
▪ With to-go and takeout still very much a thing with Whatcom County restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sustainable Connections has a new program to help provide alternatives to plastic utensils and other single-use items.
The program, Where To Go With To-Go, helps restaurants determine the right materials to use with their to-go orders and promotes restaurants that pledge to reduce their to-go waste. So far, 34 restaurants are participating in the program and are offering alternatives such as compostable sip lids instead of straws.
Restaurants owners who would like to participate in the program or learn more about how they can reduce waste can email AbbieL@SustainableConnections.org.
▪ After pulling off a St. Patrick’s Day event last week, Uisce Irish Pub is ready to be open on a regular basis as Whatcom County enters Phase 3 of the pandemic, which allows 50% capacity at restaurants.
According to a Facebook post, the pub plans to reopen on Thursday, March 25, and will be open Thursday through Saturday 4 p.m. to midnight. The pub, which is at 1319 Commercial St., has been closed for most of the past year but is able to make it work under the new restrictions that start this week.
▪ A new convenience store called Blaine Mart has opened in Blaine, near Peace Arch Park. The store, according to an article in The Northern Light newspaper, will have novelty gifts and electronics to go along with typical convenience store products. The store is operated by Sukhwant Singh Gill and is at 183 C. St. Gill was also recently appointed to the Blaine City Council as an at-large member, according to the Blaine newspaper.
▪ The Hotel Bellwether recently expanded its ballroom event area. According to a news release, the ballroom has grown from about 4,400 square feet to more than 6,000 square feet and will be able to handle up to 500 guests when it is in full operation without pandemic restrictions.
It also has a portable dance floor and about 2,700 square feet of additional space in the area. For additional details, visit the Bellwether’s website or call 360-392 -3172.
This story was originally published March 21, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
