The new Mo’s Restaurant on the Astoria Riverwalk will open with a broken champagne bottle and a ceremonial ship-christening at 11 a.m. June 22.
Bob Scull, a regional manager for Mo’s, said the company plans several soft openings next week for Mo’s employees, the location’s construction companies, local hospitality workers and the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce.
On June 22, the restaurant will open with prizes, live music in the evening and a raffle. “One person is going to be chosen to eat free for a year,” he said.
The 12,000-square-foot location, split between a 160-seat restaurant and a new chowder production kitchen, is the company’s most recent coastal expansion since 1991 in Cannon Beach and most recent in Oregon since the company’s new location in 2015 at the Portland International Airport. Scull said the company will time chowder production around operating hours to give visitors a chance to see the process. He has said Mo’s will likely employ 60 to 80 people year-round in Astoria.