Bismarck riverboat event center breaks ground
June 13, 2018
BISMARCK, North Dakota — Terra Nomad’s founding trio will open a riverside restaurant spinoff as part of the new Heritage River Landing, which recently broke ground.
The downtown coffee shop’s Chris Tello and Tyler Romine, who are Bismarck natives, have fond childhood memories of Lewis and Clark Riverboat rides and Captain Meriwether’s Landing before it became a casualty of the 2011 Missouri River flood. Now they, along with partner Julia Tello, said they’re excited to be part of the site’s revival.
The 4,400-square-foot community event space is being built by the Missouri Valley Heritage Alliance, formerly known as the Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation, The Bismarck Tribune reported.
When complete, it will house a gift shop with ticket sales for the Lewis and Clark Riverboat and interactive kiosks about the area’s history, along with the restaurant, event space and 4,200-square-foot outdoor dining patio.
Fundraising for the building has hit $925,000 of its $1.5 million goal, up from $750,000 in January. There also has been $300,000 worth of in-kind donations that include free labor, from local construction firms, said former Bismarck mayor and fundraising co-chairman John Warford.
Alliance President Aaron Barth said they have what they need to construct the building but would like to bring in another $500,000 for the project. Interest from potential sponsors is still strong, Warford added.
Mayor Mike Seminary lauded the project as a great way to “take advantage of this incredible river.”
And as for the restaurant portion, Romine said he and his partners were flattered to be considered.
“How do we pass up the opportunity to be part of this?” Tello added.
The restaurant, the name of which has yet to be announced, will employ the same farm-to-table style of cooking with locally produced ingredients that the partners offer at Terra Nomad but on a larger, sit-down restaurant scale.
Romine said Terra Nomad customers have been asking for some time when they planned to offer a full-service restaurant location beyond the coffee shop fare provided downtown. Opening in the Heritage River Landing allows them to partner with the alliance rather than simply striking out on their own in the new venture.
