<!--Mark Scheer--><table width="234" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" background="http://static.cnhi.zope.net/flashpromo/niagaragazette/images/byline_234x60.jpg" height="60"><tr><td><div align="center"><font size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">By Mark Scheer</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="mailto:mark.scheer@niagara-gazette.com">mark.scheer@niagara-gazette.com</a></font></div></td></tr></table>
City Councilman Steve Fournier Jr. is out of the restaurant business, at least for the foreseeable future.
Fournier confirmed Monday that he has closed the doors at the Orchard Grill on Main Street, which he said is expected to re-open under a new operator in a few weeks.
Fournier, who previously owned Cafe Etc. on Third Street, closed the Orchard Grill to the public on Friday. He said he made the decision because he has grown tired of the rigors of being self-employed and is hoping another line of work will allow him to concentrate more on city affairs and spend more time with his two children. Fournier said he is currently working with another person who is interested in leasing the property and re-opening it as a restaurant as early as next month.
“I’m done running it myself,” said Fournier, who took over the business from its previous owner, Niagara County Legislator Jason Murgia, D-Niagara Falls. “I’m looking forward to being able to spend a little more time with my kids. I’m looking for a 9-to-5 job.”
Fournier closed Cafe Etc. in November.
“I was just looking to downsize because of my political career and other job,” said Fournier at the time, adding the move shouldn’t be considered as a stab against Third Street. “I tried on Third Street and I have no regrets. It’s not that I didn’t make any money or make a lot of good friends, but with the economy the way it is, I decided to go elsewhere.”
Fournier is attempting to sell the Cafe Etc. building. He declined to say how much he’s asking for the property.
In November, Fournier said he had finalized a five-year lease to operate the Orchard Grill restaurant.
Fournier renovated the old Rockwells bar and reopened it as Cafe Etc. in 2002 with his wife Michelle Colato. The opening helped lead to a resurgence of Third Street as an entertainment district, but the street reconstruction project completed by USA Niagara Development Co. two years ago didn’t bolster business as anticipated.
