WILMINGTON — After a year of construction and legal delays, Blackfinn Ameripub on the downtown Riverwalk will open to the public on Saturday afternoon.
Blackfinn Ameripub had initially announced on Facebook that the “Grand Opening” would be on Friday, May 26. However, the restaurant bumped the public opening, stating:”Our entire venue will be taken up by our Friday VIP events.”
The restaurant announcement on Facebook continued, “although we previously mentioned that we would be open to the public starting at 5 p.m., Friday, we quickly learned how excited everyone is for Blackfinn’s arrival downtown.”
According to Courtney Dooley, sales and marketing manager, “we had an overwhelming response for VIP guests for our Friday grand opening. But we will be open to the pubic Saturday, and we’re very excited.”
One final delay – getting Blackfinn’s certificate of occupancy – will delay opening to the pubic until 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 27.
Dooley said, “they just finally issued the (certificate of occupation) yesterday, so our kitchen staff have only been in the building for 24 hours, but they’re hard at work. We’ll be open at four on Saturday until two (a.m.) and we’re going to try and open at our usual time on Sunday, at 11 a.m.”
Back in the summer of 2015, Charlotte-based Blackfinn Ameripub and Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina announced a planned opening in the spring of 2016. After a round of construction delays, the restaurants were then bogged down in a legal dispute with the city over providing public bathrooms along the Riverwalk.
A new agreement was reached, and the restaurants planned to open in time for the Wells Fargo Championship. However, only Blackfinn will open. There is no current planned opening date for Vida Mexican Kitchen.
Dooley said starting Monday Blackfinn will “finally be ready to roll with our regular hours,” serving lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. – 2 a.m., Monday through Sunday. Details and menu info can be found here.
