Riverfront restaurant set to open after several delays

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —  The first talk about Blackfinn Ameripub and Vida restaurants coming to the Port City was nearly five years ago.

The buildings are up and the final touches are being made on one of those restaurants.

Blackfinn Ameripub at Pier 33 should be serving up grub to customers by next Saturday, May 27. Their sister restaurant won’t be open for another three months.

They are currently hiring about 150 jobs for the indoor and outdoor dining.

Up until this point though it has been one delay after another. They were originally suppose to open last summer. They even hoped to open before the Wells Fargo Championship but construction delays forced them to stay closed.

“Were we disappointed? Operating Partner Dennis Walsh said. “Sure, we would have like to be out here, but we did our best.”

When construction first started, the developer had an agreement with the city to add public restrooms. They just recently added temporary ones. That cost the restaurants more than six months of time.

“All good things take their time and this is one of those,”Walsh said. “We are excited that it’s finally here. I know it’s been a long time coming for some people but it’s well worth the wait.”

Walsh says there will live music most nights. They plan to have more than 50 beers on tap including some local breweries and have more than 30 TVs for sport lovers. A ribbon cutting is set for May 26.