After Newmarket’s Cachet Supper Club spent nearly a year on the market, the town will turn to a request for proposals to find a new business for the Main Street location.
Cachet owner Jennifer McLachlan announced she will officially step away from the leased location May 29 after looking to secure a buyer without luck for the past year. On the same day, Newmarket council is to hold a special meeting to issue an RFP to fill 500 Water St. at the end of Main Street South.
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor praised Cachet and said it contributed greatly to the community through its kindness, but the town is ready for an RFP process.
“We know it’s not going to be occupied by one person, one entity for 50 years. There’s always going to be turnover,” he said. “We’re equally excited about going into an RFP, finding a new partner and seeing a new restaurant or business or entity come into Main Street.”
McLachlan announced her plans to move on from the Cachet last summer to pursue new business opportunities with her other company, Delivereh. But no buyer has emerged in the past year, with Cachet carrying on in the meantime.
The business owner expressed appreciation for the town and community.
“I am very thankful to the community and the leaders within. The support to Cachet Supper Club for the last six years has been rewarding, to say the least,” McLachlan said, adding that her team became "family."
A staff report on the RFP offers a vision for the new tenant to be a “unique and elevated dining establishment.”
It said the RFP will emphasize the need for a commercial operation that is year-round and offers new dining experiences and cuisine styles. Criteria will include business experience, financial capacity, business plans and the lease offer.
The town expects to have a lease agreement in place by the fall and is expected to have a 10-year initial term. Cachet ended up running for six years, having started in 2017.
McLachlan said she is just as curious as anyone else to see what will become of the property she has been running.
“I am looking forward to being a customer at 500 Water St. in the future.”
