Construction causes chaos for some local businesses in Sugar House 

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A family-owned business in Sugar House is struggling and has been for several years now because of construction. Inside Bruges Belgian Bistro, it looks like business as usual, but behind the scenes, it’s a struggle.

“Construction is killing small businesses in Salt Lake City,” Noe Vandamme, son of owner Pierre Vandamme said.

Vandamme shared his family’s story on social media through TikTok.

“The TikTok was a build-up of four years. My family has been going through a lot, and I decided to share what we’ve been going through,” Vandamme said.

Their family has struggled to keep their business open, and the bistro says they’ve lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue because of the nearby construction.

“COVID-19 was done, and then pretty much we got hit by construction in this whole area,” Pierre Vandamme, owner of Bruges Belgian Bistro said.

“We don’t think they took us into account or cared, and I know surrounding businesses have the same feelings as us,” Noe Vandamme said.

Their Sugar House staple, which has been in operation for nearly 16 years, is struggling to stay afloat.

“I’ve seen how hard this man works to keep this thing open, seven days a week working 13 hours a day because he has to be here and can’t afford to pay anyone,” Noe Vandamme said about his father.

City leaders acknowledge the impact. Sarah Young, SLC District 7 representative said the city has given grants, paused construction during holidays, and promoted local shopping over the last two years. 

“I know it can be frustrating to have construction that impacts everyone’s day-to-day travel, but what is more frustrating is that if the city wasn’t taking care of our streets,” Young said.

Looking ahead, Vandamme hopes to be part of future planning.

“In the future we want things to be done differently so other businesses don’t have to go through what we went through and all these people in Sugar House went through,” Noe Vandamme said. 

The city stated that a significant portion of the construction in Sugar House is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.