It has been a fixture of the Front Street scene for as long as most people care to remember, but the Harbourfront Restaurant will soon be relocated a mile away at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.

Plans are in the works to demolish part of the Saltus Block, directly opposite the Hamilton Ferry Terminal, and rebuild it as a five-storey office and retail complex to include the new offices of Orbis Mutual Funds, which is currently located nearby in Par-La-Ville Road. The Harbourfront Restaurant is one of a number of businesses that will be affected by the re-development project, the others are ER Aubrey Jewellers, The Perfume Shop and Wadson’s.

Pierangelo Lanfranchi, who has been a partner in the Harbourfront Restaurant since 1990, is sad it will be moving from such a prime and convenient location but at the same time is optimistic for its future when it takes over the waterfront premises of La Coquille restaurant and lounge at BUEI in June.

At the current Front Street location the restaurant has enjoyed excellent lunchtime patronage with customers from nearby offices able to pop in for something to eat before getting back to work. The more distant location at BUEI, on East Broadway, may deter such business custom.

But on the other hand there is a good opportunity to be a popular dinner destination with waterfront views, a custom-made sushi bar, and much easier parking compared to central Hamilton.

Mr. Lanfranchi said: “The biggest challenge for us and our regular customers will be lunch. But I think what we might lose at lunch will be made up with on the dinners. We will be opening for dinners at 5 p.m., there will be more parking and takeaways.”

The future of the Saltus block, which is owned by the Bermuda Church Society, has been at the centre of speculation for a number of years and the uncertainty is one of the reasons Harbourfront, which is part of the Little Venice Group, has not been given a upgrade make-over.

“The company was under pressure by news and rumours about the closing of the building and we had to make a decision about what to do. I support the directors in the move,” said Mr. Lanfranchi.

Viewing the move as a challenge, Mr. Lanfranchi also sees it as an opportunity to improve what the restaurant will be able to offer at its new location. It will continue to be known as the Harbourfront Restaurant.

Sushi, fusion food and continental dishes will all be on offer. A new sushi bar will be created at the former La Coquille and the restaurant will be re-configured to give it more a more cosy feel. There will be a happy hour for drinks and food every day from Monday to Saturday.

“We will offer a great variety of dishes. We have a great location down there with an even better view of the harbour than here,” said Mr. Lanfranchi.

“It will be dramatic. We want people to come and say ‘wow’ when they walk into the restaurant. They will come to see the location, for the great food and we have great professional staff. Even though it is a challenge not to be in town the staff will make people feel comfortable.”

Moving from the current location will mean losing what many would consider the best outdoor dining terrace in town, a terrace chosen by customers as the place they wanted to sit even in inclement weather.

But Mr. Lanfranchi can see potential benefits in being relocated at the BUEI site as it is a place where many businesses hold seminars and meetings and is a tourist draw, something which may help sustain the lunchtime trade.

The Waterfront Restaurant intends to switch location during the first week of June. A date for the demolition of the building has yet to be set as the plans are still to be approved, according to property manager Leonard Gibbons.

“We would like to start as soon as possible, I would hope this summer,” he said.

Construction is likely to take 18 to 20 months and the new building will also include some retail units but not a restaurant, according to Mr. Gibbons.