The Blatnik Bridge may not seem like the golden highway to a smorgasbord of tasty treats in Superior.
But the bridge has served that purpose for many locals and tourists in the Duluth area.
That's become abundantly clear with the recent lane closures on the Interstate 535/U.S. Highway 53 bridge between Duluth and Superior. Traffic on the bridge has been restricted since May, when the Minnesota Department of Transportation determined that its gusset plates needed to be strengthened.
Superior restaurant and business owners are finding that the restriction of traffic to single lanes in each direction and detours to the Bong Bridge have prompted business in some spots to plummet.
"Oh yes," said Barbara Krause, owner of Le Bistro, at 1409 Hammond Ave., when asked Friday whether she has noticed a slide in customers.
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"About 70 percent," she estimated was the slip in her lunch and dinner crowds.
When the bridge were reduced to a single lane each way May 6, business dropped slightly.
But the real decline came when Superior-bound traffic was rerouted over the Bong Bridge on June 12, followed by traffic to Duluth on June 23
"Ninety percent of our clientele come from Duluth and parts of Minnesota," she said.
At The Kitchen, 803 N. Fifth St. in Superior, the dropoff hasn't been as dramatic, but they still are feeling the pinch.
"I didn't realize we got as many Duluth people as we did," owner Ed Flood said. He says his orders shrank by at least 10 percent.
His restaurant is so near the Blatnik Bridge that many customers regularly slipped across from Duluth to Superior for lunch.
But that business has dropped because there's not enough time for some of his customers to come across, Flood said.
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He also has watched sales evaporate when would-be patrons call back and cancel after they realize they'll have to return on the Bong Bridge.
Grant Bratrud, manager and part owner of the Boathouse Restaurant, at 14 Marina Drive in Superior, said he isn't seeing the June bump the restaurant is accustomed to when the tourist season takes off.
"It has affected our volume," Bratrud said. "We feel that it's the Duluth business that we lose."
He said this hasn't been a lucrative year so far for restaurants in general, thanks to high gas prices and a weak economy, so he's not sure how much bridge construction is to blame. But to boost the bottom line in the short term, Bratrud is considering a special for those who are willing to take the detour to eat.
Work on the bridge is expected to be done in about two weeks.
PATRICK GARMOE can be reached at (218) 723-5229 or pgarmoe@duluthnews.com
