Salty Dog restaurant on the move... but not too far

Sunday 03 March 2024

A restaurant that has become an institution in St Aubin since opening in the village in 1998 is heading north... but not far.

After more than a quarter of a century at Maison Herault on the Bulwarks, the Salty Dog is set to relocate by around 200 metres to a new location opposite St Brelade's Parish Hall.

The quarterly meeting of the Island Licensing Assembly, scheduled for later this month, will consider an application by Natalie Parkin Duffy for an alcohol licence at the new site – formerly occupied by restaurants including the Blue Fish, Cheffins, Shinzo and Trésor.

Pictured: The Salty Dog will move into the site most recently occupied by Trésor.

Ms Parkin Duffy, director and co-founder of the Salty Dog, said she hoped to secure the licence and to be able to open by the end of April.

The new site was acquired at the start of 2024, with work being carried out to refurbish the building and outside area.

"We're pushing forward with the project as fast as we can," Ms Parkin Duffy said. "It's a fantastic opportunity to develop the business and provide a more accessible and amenable facility for the village, for our customers and for the hospitality industry.

"The site has a great history, especially with venues like Cheffin's when David Parish was here, the Blue Fish and before that the St Aubin's Hotel – we want to restore it to its former glory."

The intention is to expand the existing opening hours of the old site by opening for breakfast and morning coffee, followed by lunch and dinner services.

Ms Parkin Duffy said she hoped the business would trade seven days a week over the summer, and that the expansion in opening hours would be likely to lead to more staff being employed.

She added: "The site is right in the middle of St Aubin, next to shops and the bus stops and to successful hospitality businesses like Uno and The Loft, so we're looking to make the Salty Dog complementary to that and remain part of village life.

"We're going into a new chapter with great hope and enthusiasm – we are really proud of what the team has done in the past 25 years.

"The Salty Dog has built up a loyal customer base, and people who came here as children now come back with their children, so they're excited about the move as well."

The licensing application was passed at a St Brelade parish assembly on 27 February and is set to be considered by the Licensing Assembly on 21 March.

Some representations from neighbours about noise from previous businesses on the site were made at the parish meeting, and Ms Parkin Duffy said she was working with contractors to iron out these issues before opening.