Adrian’s at the Airport owner Demetre Exarhopoulos isn’t celebrating just yet.
After the opening date for the iconic Langley restaurant in its new home had to moved back again and again, Exarhopoulos finally had a low-key “soft opening” on Sunday, March 14 in the new Langley airport terminal building.
“I’m relieved, definitely,” Exarhopoulos told the Langley Advance Times.
“It feels great.”
Right now, customers are only being seated in the first floor, but he is hoping to open the upstairs, including the spacious outdoor patio with a view of the airport and the scenery beyond, in three to four weeks.
He isn’t sure when he’ll be holding the official opening.
“Maybe next week,” he said on Saturday, March 20.
The move was a long time coming, he estimated, about “two and half, three years.”
READ ALSO: Adrian’s at the Airport owner says the new Langley premises are just a few weeks from opening
Among the holdups, the imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on steel during construction of the terminal building, and a pandemic that prevented building trades crews from working together in close quarters to complete the interior.
READ ALSO: A look inside the new Langley Regional Airport terminal building
Costs ended up higher than expected, which is why the new Adrian’s will be using chairs from the old space for at least a few months.
In the new space, Adrian’s will be operating in much larger premises, almost double the size of the old building, seating a potential maximum of 130 on the first level, 150 on the other, with the outdoor patio able to accommodate another 80 to 100 guests.
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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