Frankly I think the quality of food served will be the differential between those who struggle and those who thrive. Calgary's food scene isn't based solely on quantity anymore; with the advent of food culture and the burgeoning foodie scene in the city, places like Escoba have to keep up. I'm sure economics come into play for some extent, but struggling to meet costs suggests to me that there aren't enough people visiting the restaurant regularly to pad the books in the black. There are probably a good handful that are making it work though, and reputation and word-of-mouth is critical to successful restaurants in this city.
Perhaps Escoba could survive if they moved to a more accessible location; I haven't seen many restaurants survive that long on that avenue itself. Hasn't that Gastropub changed names a bunch of times? Same with the Korean restaurant? Hell, even Chicago Chophouse had to go. Perhaps there is something with that specific area that stymies business.
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