Fredericton — Because of seemingly endless construction on Woodstock Road in Fredericton as crews replace a nearby culvert, the Cabin Restaurant has seen a 50 percent drop in business compared to their usual robust July sales.
The Cabin, known to locals and tourists alike as the cool little spot with great food and jukeboxes on the walls, is suffering disproportionately as a result of the construction, despite posting alternate directions to get to the diner on social media. The city has heard the complaints and is suggesting the diner pack up and move to the parking lot outside Costco uptown.
“The great thing about the Cabin is its tiny size — I bet they could slap some wheels on that thing and take it anywhere with a little effort,” said George McKinley, a project engineer with the City of Fredericton.
“Or they could pack up the whole place, put it on a trailer, and haul it uptown to where the most Frederictonians waste the most time: Costco. At least till the construction on Woodstock Road is done in a couple months. They could even sell ‘Cabin cards’ to people who just have to be members of everything. A Cabin membership would get you…oh, I dunno…half off a hot turkey sandwich on Tuesdays or something.”
Carolyn Hebert, a Costco regular, said she loves the Cabin but rarely goes there due to its out-of-the-way location.
“But if it were in the Costco parking lot? I’d eat every meal there!” she raved. “I could do my shopping at Costco — they have great deals, ya know — then stop for some delicious homemade pie at the Cabin. This is off the record, but Costco pie is disgusting…it has a thin film of grease or something on the top. It looks like oily plastic. But I digress.”
Fredericton Mayor Mike O’Brien is on board with the plan, even offering to chip in a bit of the city budget to help pay for the restaurant’s relocation fees.
“I know it’s not ideal, but during construction season it’s more about coming together as a city and making the best of trying times,” he said. “And Frederictonians are obsessed with Costco — even council meetings tend to turn into a long, boring discussion of the latest deals and savings. But to me that means the Cabin will thrive, being right next to the store residents can’t seem to get enough of.
“Worth a try, right?”
At press time, no one had informed the Cabin’s owner or staff of the relocation plan.