Mallard Cottage's new owner says he fell in love with the restaurant in one night

Mallard Cottage's new sole owner says he has navigated the St. John's restaurant out of potential bankruptcy and plans to reopen by the end of the month.

Quebec entrepreneur Blair McIntosh said he became enchanted with the restaurant, in the city's Quidi Vidi during a visit to Newfoundland and Labrador in 2015.

"My son and I were in town, just visiting some friends, and decided to get down there, and … fell in love with the place that night," McIntosh told CBC News from southeastern Quebec.

McIntosh spoke with then co-owner Todd Perrin that night, telling Perrin he was impressed with the restaurant and was interested in participating in some way.

"As time went on, I slowly but surely got involved as a minority shareholder and worked with Todd and one of the other former owners over the course of the last six years."

McIntosh, whose companies include Muskox Impact Investments and electric industrial vehicles manufacturer Motrec, says Mallard Cottage is his first time being involved with a restaurant.

Perrin created a beautiful restaurant, McIntosh said, and he wants to carry that forward.

"I want to preserve that tradition and maybe bring it to a different level. And that's what we're going to do now that the obstacles have been cleared out of the way."

Mallard Cottage is a one-of-a-kind restaurant in North America, he said, and it's important for his team to preserve that while adding improvements, like increasing the restaurant's capacity. Over the course of the winter, he said, the kitchen was renovated and new equipment was added, and work is now being done on the exterior, which he said should be done by early next week.

McIntosh said he has hired a new general manager and assistant general manager, who will also be running The Inn by Mallard Cottage, and he's also bringing in an executive chef in the next few weeks.

They will be working hard to keep costs down and make sure the business is profitable while ensuring patrons have a good culinary experience, he added.

Bankruptcy resolved: McIntosh

In April, the Business Development Bank of Canada filed an application with the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador to force Mallard Cottage Inc. into bankruptcy and place it under a trustee. McIntosh said that has been resolved.

"We were able to come to a cordial agreement settlement two weeks ago when I was down there," he said. "This is something that's been in the works for about a year now."

A BDC spokesperson confirmed to CBC News over email that the situation has been "resolved, with a collaborative and positive outcome for all parties." 

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