Restaurant owners hopeful Sussex Courtyard patio construction won’t deter visitors

An NCC construction project has forced restaurants in the Clarendon Lane courtyard to close their patios for the rest of summer. CTV’s Kimberley Johnson reports

The construction on the Sussex Courtyards is underway, which has shut down patio season for several restaurants in the area. That has many ByWard Market restaurants hoping customers will come by to support them during a pivotal time.

The Sussex Courtyards are a series of enclosed outdoor spaces behind buildings on Sussex Drive near York Street, consisting of Clarandon Court, York Court and Clarendon Lane.

Shane Clark is one of the owners of Beyond the Pale, which recently opened its George Street location in November. Its patio and entrance to the restaurant sit within Clarendon Court.

This was the location’s first patio season – opening just weeks ago. Now, it’s been shut.

Instead, visitors will have to enter from George Street and follow fencing to the entrance of the brewery and restaurant.

Clark is concerned it will be a huge challenge.

“We don’t have street access like most of the other restaurants, all of the other restaurants in the courtyard,” he said. “For us, it’s going to be very difficult to draw people in through a construction site.”

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters

The work being done is a renovation project by the National Capital Commission (NCC). It will replace the stones and pavers along the walkways, which the NCC says will address tripping hazards and “protect the courtyards’ character-defining heritage features.”

Other work includes replacing and improving lighting, as well as updating “stormwater management systems to address water ponding.”

Clark says the original plan for the work was last year, but after that was delayed, he was notified a few weeks ago that construction instead would begin Aug. 11, cutting the season short.

He says that it has forced the cancellation of a number of outdoor events, including weddings, as people hoped to use the historic courtyard.

“The monetary value is going to be real. I think we’re looking at hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost sales,” he said.

“We’re really hoping that we can kind of ask the public to come down and help support us and keep us going so we can keep our staff paid and keep the lights on until this projects done.”

In a statement, Benoît Desjardins, a communications advisor for the NCC, says they adjusted the timeline for work as much as they could to avoid disrupting this patio season as well as the summer of 2026.

“We recognize the challenge these essential repairs pose to our tenants and have been working with them over the past few months,” reads the statement.

“This type of work can only be done during a certain time of the year. If we were to delay the start of the work, next year’s patio season would be compromised.”

The statement also says that entrances will be available and increased visible signage has been put up throughout the construction period for pedestrians and customers to follow.

David Godsoe is the director of food and beverage operations for the Eighteen Hospitality Group. The company has five restaurants that use the courtyard - The Clarendon Tavern, E18teen, Social Restaurant and Lounge, Sidedoor Restaurant and The Hyde.

Godsoe says he understands the work needs to be done but feels there was little consultation on the project.

“That’s where we’re really struggling with this,” he said.

“We would have loved to have had a bit of negotiation in this and said, where are you starting? How can we facilitate some patio business over the next couple of weeks so that you guys can maybe start what you need to do with construction?’”

He is putting out several tables and chairs to help create a patio along George Street, but says they’ve gone from 230 patio seats between three restaurants, down to 40 outside Clarendon Tavern.

He says he’s also had weddings and events cancel, putting the total seasonal lost revenue at approximately $300,000 for all of the restaurants.

Godsoe says he hopes customers will help them maneuver through the challenge.

“We have beautiful indoor spaces as well,” he said. “We’re still trying to run at full capacity. We’re going to try to keep as many staff employed as across the can. And I really just want encourage people to not be scared away, just because it’s a construction site, from coming down here.”

The NCC says the work is aiming to be completed by the spring of 2026 ahead of next patio season.

Clark says until then, he is aiming to hold on and work to get people in the door.

“We’re just trying to keep people coming and keep this place vibrant so we can reopen next year.”

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App