Planning a St. John's restaurant around cruise ship days

From late spring to fall, cruise ships call at the Port of St. John's, and when a ship is in, downtown changes. Passengers come ashore in the morning, walk up from the harbour, climb Signal Hill or take a tour, and then look for lunch. Most have a few hours and a fixed time to be back on board. For a restaurant or café near the harbour, a ship day can be the busiest lunch of the week.

How many cruise visitors come to St. John's?

The numbers vary from year to year, so check the City's published schedule each season. For 2026, the City announced the first call on May 21, with 39 cruise ship visits from 25 cruise lines between May and October and more than 36,000 passengers expected. The City says ships visit as a port of call and as a home port, where passengers begin or end a cruise in St. John's, and its 2026 schedule listed some visits that ran across two days, which bring visitors downtown for dinner as well as lunch.

How do cruise passengers choose where to eat?

Most arrive with little local knowledge and limited time. They choose by:

• What they can see, walking along Water Street and Duckworth Street
• What is close to the harbour or to the attraction they just visited
• What their phone tells them: listings, ratings and recommendations
• What sounds local: many want fish and chips, cod, chowder or something they cannot get at home

Cruise visitors are not the only visitors in town on those days, either. Summer also brings people on longer stays who are planning their meals more carefully.

How should you staff a restaurant for a ship day?

Check the schedule weekly and plan around it:

1. Add people for the lunch window on ship days, when the rush can arrive all at once.
2. Prep more of your most popular local dishes. Running out of fish and chips at half past twelve on a ship day is a lost lunch for dozens of people.
3. Have a fast lane. A short menu of quick dishes helps people with a ship to catch.
4. Brief the team on timing. Guests may be watching the clock closely.

How do you handle the line on a cruise day?

Take names and phone numbers at the door, give an honest wait and text when a table is ready, so passengers can wander until their table is ready. Honest wait times matter more than usual: a visitor who knows it is forty minutes can decide, while one kept guessing may miss their ship or leave unhappy. For cafés, a ready-to-collect shelf for phone orders can serve people who would rather eat on the go.

What should a cruise-day menu include?

Visitors want to taste the place. Make sure your menu explains local dishes in a line or two, and highlight the ones that suit a quick lunch: fish and chips, chowder, fish cakes, toutons, a lobster roll in season. Keep prices clear and say whether HST is included or added, because visitors from other countries may not expect tax on top. The guide on sales tax on restaurant meals in the Prairies and Atlantic Canada has the rate.

What time zone confusion should you watch for?

Newfoundland keeps its own time zone, half an hour ahead of Atlantic Time. A ship may keep a different clock to the one in town, and passengers sometimes get confused about what time it really is. Staff who know the ship's all-aboard time, and who can say "you have about an hour", are doing visitors a real favour.

How does your listing help on ship days?

A cruise visitor deciding on the street looks at a phone. An accurate listing, with your menu, photos, today's hours and ratings, is what turns that glance into a visit. Keep the hours right on ship days especially, and say if you are open late for overnight stays.

How do you serve passengers who are short of time?

Cruise passengers often have a few hours ashore and a firm all-aboard time.

• Ask when they need to be back as they sit down.
• Offer a short menu the kitchen can deliver quickly, with local favourites.
• Bring the bill when asked, and take card and tap payments at the table.
• Offer takeout for passengers who want to eat on the move.
• Remind them of local time, since Newfoundland Time catches people out.

A passenger who makes the ship on time with a great meal behind them leaves a good rating.

How do you know if ship days are worth planning for?

Compare your sales on ship days with similar days without a ship. Some restaurants near the harbour see a big lift; those further away may see none. Plan only for what your own numbers show.

More from St. John's: Regatta Day and the George Street Festival.

More in the Canadian guides for food businesses.