Downtown Edmonton restaurants close as owners cite compounding challenges

Six downtown Edmonton restaurants have closed their doors this year, with owners pointing to a combination of pressures that have made staying open unsustainable.

Greta Bar YEG, an arcade bar chain with locations across the city, announced its closure Monday. "It wasn't one tax increase. It wasn't patio fees. It wasn't paid parking. It wasn't hybrid work. It wasn't safety. It wasn't one construction project," Chris DeCock, president of Greta, said in a statement. "It was death by a thousand cuts."

Other downtown closures this year include kb&co, Khazana, Bündok, Kommune, and PlayWright. The string of shutdowns has sparked conversations among Edmonton's business community about the conditions making it difficult to operate in the core.

Maya Richmond, owner of the Padmanadi restaurant chain with its flagship location in central Edmonton, said the margins are razor-thin. "Restaurants — our profit margin is very thin," she said. "Anything that disrupts the ecosystem — you're either breaking even or you're just not gonna make it."

Business owners have called on city council to address issues including rising rent, accumulating debt, concerns around social disorder, and the ongoing Valley Line West LRT construction.

Mayor Andrew Knack said work is underway on multiple fronts. The city expedited phased construction at 104th Street and 102nd Avenue, which opened two weeks ahead of schedule. As of July 2, Edmonton has added 30 new transit peace officers working on the LRT system and downtown stations. Ward O-day'min Councillor Anne Stevenson said she is disappointed by the closures and believes the compounding reasons require attention.