Former Dayboat restaurant gets new life as event space

The former Dayboat restaurant in Oyster Bed Bridge, P.E.I., will be getting new life as an event space.

The building has been home to a few different restaurants over the years, and was recently purchased by the Murphy Hospitality Group.

"It's been closed, then it's been open a little bit,"saidKevin Murphy, president of Murphy Hospitality Group. "So it really was in a state that you really had to figure out what's the purpose for it today."

"We knew it wasn't going to be a restaurant, but we thought it was an event space more than anything."

'This will fill that void'

Murphy said the company has noticed increased demand for small, rural venues for weddings and other events, and he thinks this spot will be a good fit.

"A lot of weddings aren't 300 people, they're smaller 70, 80, 90 people. So this will fill that void for us."

He wanted to find a small venue on the water, within about 25 km of Charlottetown. He said his company has had a number of inquiries about that kind of space.

"That's the request they're looking for, is something different, something outside of Charlottetown, something that's in rural P.E.I., and on the water. And that's a tough ask sometimes, to get all those into one place," said Murphy.

Open this summer

While Murphy expects the venue will be used for weddings and corporate retreats, he said it's possible the space could be used for a wide range of events. He imagines it will be similar in many ways to the P.E.I. Brewing Company, which his company also owns.

"That's what we're looking at out there, on a smaller scale. To find a niche in rural P.E.I., and really for the tourists and locals out there, to be able to have a venue that is more, I guess close by," said Murphy.

Murphy hopes the venue will be open for business June 1, and said he already has one booking for the summer.

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