Construction on Center Street has local businesses frustrated, but optimistic

It’s a little after 2 p.m. on a Wednesday and The Waffle Iron is just minutes away from closing time. A couple months ago, its doors wouldn’t have closed until 8 p.m. One dusty, noisy road under construction has made it unprofitable for the restaurant to stay open all day. 

The restaurants on Center Street have been affected by construction and complaints have risen, but owners are optimistic for the end result.

According to the minutes from the Logan City Council meeting on June 4, construction on Center Street was scheduled to start in August and be completed in October. Several restaurants have said that’s no longer the case, but restaurant owners are willing to wait and take hits to business. 

Lisa Clawson, the owner of Great Harvest, said all of the Center Street property owners are happy with how Logan City has handled the construction.

“Logan City has bent over backwards to work with property owners to make sure that the construction will have the least impact on our businesses,” Clawson said. “We have had over a year to prepare. We knew when the construction would start. We actually had input into the time frame. The construction workers have been so helpful and efficient.”

Clawson added her excitement for the project’s result.

“We at Great Harvest are thrilled with what is happening on Center Street,” she said. “Yes, we’ve had to tighten our belt for a few months, but it was not unexpected. Growing pains hurt sometimes, but in the long run it’s going to be a fantastic change.”

Restaurant employees were also optimistic for the construction’s outcome, but still had some complaints.

Joey Coletti, who has been working at Great Harvest for three years, said, “the mornings are a lot slower, as well as the evenings. The lunch hours are still pretty busy.”

Coletti said he and his coworkers regularly get calls from customers asking if Great Harvest is still open and where they should park. 

Chelsey Monaco, manager of The Crêpery, said the restaurant had to close its doors on two Sundays because the water was shut off. 

Monaco said the first two weeks of construction were the worst and most confusing, but appreciated the steps the city has taken to help out.

“At first everyone was a little bit confused,” she said. “They didn’t really know if we were open or not, but then the city put out big signs on Main Street that said ‘we’re still open.’ When they were first ripping up the road that was really loud and pretty intense. It felt like the building was shaking, but now it’s not that bad.”

Monaco also said she was excited for the construction to be over, saying the changes will result in more foot traffic and beautiful scenery.

The Waffle Iron shares a building with The Crêpery and has also had its share of frustrations.

Annora Madden, an employee from The Waffle Iron on Center Street, said the construction has made business slower. The construction has also affected The Waffle Iron’s business hours. Instead of staying open until 8 p.m. on weekdays, the restaurant now closes its doors at 3 p.m.

“It wasn’t worth staying open at night anymore because we just weren’t getting the foot traffic that we usually would,” Madden said. 

Madden said the construction has forced the restaurant to stay closed for entire days, saying “When they do pipes, they have to turn all the water off. There’s been multiple days where we haven’t had water and we’ve had to just shut down.”