SWAMPSCOTT — Mission on the Bay owner Marty Bloom said he plans to reopen the restaurant in the second or third week of June — a little more than a month after a portion of the seawall beneath the restaurant collapsed on May 4.
In an interview Thursday evening, Bloom said engineers he hired from Intralux Construction are finalizing plans to stabilize the wall after a portion of it crumbled last week, leaving a hole under the restaurant. He said the estimated two-week repair includes construction of a large boulder wall to support the current structure.
“Right after Memorial Day — that’s the goal to finish temporary repairs” Bloom said. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to be perfect on it, but that’s what we’re shooting for.”
The wall is currently being supported by a thick layer of concrete, which the company Extreme Shotcrete sprayed the afternoon of its collapse for immediate support. Bloom said he has already relocated the restaurant’s reserved events to his other restaurants in Revere and Beverly.
Bloom said the restaurant has practically back-to-back weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, and large parties scheduled from May until October. He said his team is working around the clock to ensure Mission on the Bay honors all of its commitments.
Since the collapse, Bloom said he was able to relocate half of the approximately 100 Mission on the Bay employees to his other restaurants. He said bringing his staff back to work remains one of his top motivations for a prompt re-opening.
“The faster I can get back into play, and take care of everybody’s social gatherings, the happier everyone will be, including us,” Bloom said. “We’ve got two restaurants that are working overtime to help fill in the gap while we’re trying to get this one back up and running.”
Bloom said he is still not sure what the cost of building a boulder-wall support system under Mission on the Bay will be, although he said he expects repairs will not be cheap.
Extreme Shotcrete owner Michael Whitehead, in an interview two weeks ago, estimated costs for a temporary fix would range anywhere from $300,000 to $800,000. Bloom said he’d been in contact with state and local officials in an attempt to secure funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“We have a bunch of people who have worked here since the day we opened seven years ago. It’s like home, like family. Getting them back up and running is part of our motivation here,” Bloom said. “When the weather gets nice, that place, it’s crazy. It’s a busy restaurant on a slow day.”
