Pub owner blames Fredericton road construction for closure of family business

The owner of a sports bar just outside Fredericton says he couldn't keep the family business open any longer after two summers of road construction kept customers away.  

Greg Hallihan, co-owner of Houlie's Hometown Pub in the Pepper Creek area, announced this week he was immediately closing his business because the construction made it difficult for drivers to get to the restaurant just outside Fredericton.

"It wasn't fit for a horse and buggy to go down. Roads back in the '1st and '1st were better than that."

Hallihan started the family business three years ago, along with his father, Wayne Hallihan, and his uncle, Ricky Nicholson. 

It had always been his dad's dream to start a sports pub once he retired. 

You're not going to come out for a $15, $20 meal and a beer for the chance of wrecking your vehicle.- Greg Hallihan, co-owner Houlie's Hometown Pub

"It kept me off the road, from going out west to weld or down to the Caribbean," said the sports fan.

The two road closures — in 2017 and 2018 — were on Greenwood Drive, the only way to get into the Pepper Creek area from Fredericton. Many of the customers he lost during those projects didn't return this year.

Two summers ago, the city was installing a new water sanitary sewer and storm sewer system and putting down curbing and asphalt pavement in the area.  

Last summer, construction crews were also fixing culverts in the area, Hallihan said. 

While construction didn't completely shut down the road, traffic was backed up. 

'A creature of habit'

Hallihan said that sometimes, drivers would be waiting in a construction zone for up to an hour and a half. He said some drivers even experienced damage to their vehicles from making their way through the area.

"You're not going to come out for a $15, $20 meal and a beer for the chance of wrecking your vehicle."

First, the sports bar lost its lunch crowd, then the losses trickled into the supper hour. Eventually, customers just stopped coming.

• Businesses frustrated as construction takes over downtown Fredericton

"Everyone is a creature of habit," he said.

"They get used to going to one spot. Something gets interrupted, they go to another spot. And they never come back."

A huge impact 

While he understands road construction is important, Hallihan  said there needed to be more discussion with business owners about the impact and whether there would be an alternate route for drivers.

"They didn't realize how big of an impact that little bit of road closure would cause the city," he said. "It's just homework."

Earlier this month, the city promised it would update businesses four times a year about planned construction projects.

In recent years, the city has been criticized for not communicating well enough about construction projects in high traffic areas, causing businesses to lose customers — especially in the downtown.

Business can't take the hits

CBC News has asked for an interview with the City of Fredericton and is waiting for a response.  

After suffering during two seasons of construction, Houlie's was hit again this summer when someone broke into the sports bar and stole $10,000.

"You just can't take the hits, back to back to back."  

The business announced its closure on Facebook on Wednesday, telling customers it tried to make an "incredible sports bar" but "reached the point where the budget was just not there." 

Painful news for staff

While it was hard letting his customers know about the closure, Hallihan said it was even more difficult telling his 11 employees they were out of work. 

"I feel like I've let them down, regardless of the construction," he said.

Hallihan said he didn't want to move his business to the downtown, where customers wouldn't have to drive as far. With the competition from food trucks and with the number of businesses closing downtown, he wasn't willing to take the risk.  

"We tried to hold on as long we could."