Downtown Edmonton restaurant Greta closes, citing construction-driven foot traffic loss

Greta, known for its arcade games and Edmonton Oilers watch parties, has closed its downtown location after struggling with what owner Chris Decock calls a lack of access and foot traffic caused by ongoing construction.

Decock said the Edmonton location's revenue was significantly lower than comparable Greta locations in Calgary, Toronto, and Vancouver. "Greta in Calgary downtown does three-and-a-half times the revenue that we do in Edmonton. Three-and-a-half times," he said. "The city isn't three-and-a-half times bigger, and there's way more competition in Calgary than there is in Edmonton."

Greta is the third downtown restaurant to shutter this month, joining PlayWright, Kommune Café, and Khazana — all citing construction as a factor. Mehaik Bhasin, former owner of Khazana, is now exploring a potential class-action lawsuit with lawyers and other affected businesses.

"We reached out to the city so many times. We didn't want to go this way," Bhasin said. "We were OK if you said 'shut down for six months, we will give you a compensation for those six months, reopen once the construction's done.'"

Bhasin acknowledged that major projects like the LRT expansion will benefit the community for decades but said there's been no relief for businesses enduring multi-year construction. She believes the city isn't doing enough to support them during disruptions.

In a statement, a City of Edmonton spokesperson said the city notifies businesses of major projects that will cause disruptions. "While the temporary disruptions may be challenging, these projects are a direct investment in the future," the statement read.