Escoba Bistro is Closing Down

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

So when you have an existing land owner operating well below highest and best use, it seems unfair to make that business pay as if it were in the same boat as high rise commercial use. Unless your goal is to get rid of independent business, this is a bad idea. It seems like a great way to create a bunch of worthless vacant lots.

This is what's frustrating about this city. We pay lip service to character and history and all that good stuff, but then every 15 years we tear everything down and start over again. Whether it's demolishing the physical buildings themselves, or driving out legacy businesses with tax hikes.

We try to artificially create hip centres of culture. That rarely works. You have to nurture and cultivate what is already there. And you don't do that by maximizing the revenue from every square foot of property, because all that leads to is chain drug stores and every-changing rotation of Hip New Places.

[CaptainCrunch]

Shadup and have a yop.

[OMG!WTF!]

I think I've heard enough. I have no doubt all levels of government and its policies are going to kill a lot of otherwise viable businesses in the city and province. A few more restaurant owners and other business owners were on the radio today describing the increases they are facing. Liquor tax, minimum wage, payroll tax, and even more idiotic property tax increases are the first ones mentioned.

The down turn in sales is totally manageable. You can be hopeful that things will improve and customers will come back. But the layer upon layer of tax increases and a carbon tax that hasn't even begun yet take away that hope. It's not going to get better. It's just going to get more difficult. So people aren't going to do it anymore. No one realizes there is a market limit to the amount of tax you can charge. No one is going to pay $30 for a burger.
But as Rachel says, this is exactly what we voted for.

I still don't get why it was a bad time to tax oil and gas businesses more via royalties but it's a good time to tax everyone else's business. I guess the people on that panel review board had some brains.

[CaptainCrunch]

At the end of the day, a lot of these businesses that are failing have been around for a long time, its not like these owners a lot of whom are experienced in small business operations became stupid over night. Right now the combination of the town turn combined with multiple tax sucker punches have made their businesses unsustainable.

[stampsx2]

but the ndp said raising the minimum wage will create jobs. They even said they will give $5000 for every new hire which they retracted.

The city raises taxes on a business, the business closes and the city now gets nothing in property taxes. Nice job. Good economics there. Now you have 50 new people waiting in line for e.i. and they are no longer paying the income tax they were before.

Left wing economics is just plain dumb.

[troutman]

Us Department of Labor - Minimum Wage Mythbusters

https://www.dol.gov/featured/minimum-wage/mythbuster

[Regular_John]

Just to stir the pot a bit, here's something a local pub/restaurant on Heritage Drive just posted on twitter.

Trap & Gill
‏@Trapgill
Sad reality of the new Calgary @Crackmacs @RobBreakenridge @cityofcalgary #SadButTrue 😢 #EveryPubInCalgary

Spoiler!

[OMG!WTF!]

Originally Posted by troutman

Us Department of Labor - Minimum Wage Mythbusters

https://www.dol.gov/featured/minimum-wage/mythbuster

I've read all this stuff too. What it doesn't do is study the effect of a substantial raise...not to $12 or 5-20%. But to $15 or 20-50%. Nor does it account for this time and this place meaning all the factors that make it a stupid idea in Alberta right now. No one minds $11.50 for the minimum wage here. But $15 sucks the life out of employers even if it is over two more years. There are a lot of bad ideas out there that can be supported with studies.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

I've read all this stuff too. What it doesn't do is study the effect of a substantial raise...not to $12 or 5-20%. But to $15 or 20-50%. Nor does it account for this time and this place meaning all the factors that make it a stupid idea in Alberta right now. No one minds $11.50 for the minimum wage here. But $15 sucks the life out of employers even if it is over two more years. There are a lot of bad ideas out there that can be supported with studies.

Except the people trying to live on it?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

Just to stir the pot a bit, here's something a local pub/restaurant on Heritage Drive just posted on twitter.

Obviously they should just raise their prices so that people will pay them more and they can handle the tax bill easier. That's how these things work, right?

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Slava

Obviously they should just raise their prices so that people will pay them more and they can handle the tax bill easier. That's how these things work, right?

Good news sir, your financing has been approved here's your hamburger and fries.

[Bigtime]

Why did the Trap move locations? Would they have been as negatively affected if they were in their previous space?

[polak]

Is there some where to compare the amount of bars and high end restaurants in different cities?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Why did the Trap move locations? Would they have been as negatively affected if they were in their previous space?

Closer to downtown? Probably would have been worse.

Just listening to the T&G interview and that one line resonates:

"There is no point in being an entrepreneur anymore."

[Locke]

Haha!

"I would rather have a burger from the Atlantic Trap & Gill than from Rachel Notley's Communist Burger Shack!"

All of a sudden all that Orange is looking a lot more red comrades!

[OMG!WTF!]

Originally Posted by Locke

There is no point in being an entrepreneur anymore."

The other quote that got me was "the government makes waaaay more money out of this place than we do".

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Locke

Closer to downtown? Probably would have been worse.

Just listening to the T&G interview and that one line resonates:

"There is no point in being an entrepreneur anymore."

I haven't been for quite a few years, was the move done to get into a bigger location and have larger crowds? If so the effect of the current situation would probably sting more than in their old location.

Not sure on the "closer to downtown" part though, I've always felt that the Trap was a place you made a point of going to, not as much a location based destination.

[Locke]

This interview is brilliant!

"Everyone loves Rachel Notley's burgers because you have to!"

Ain't no burger like a Rachel Notley burger because the Government says so!

[Locke]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

The other quote that got me was "the government makes waaaay more money out of this place than we do".

And I can see that. Removing income taxes, as there might not be much on whatever is left over, but all the other taxes come right off the top.

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I haven't been for quite a few years, was the move done to get into a bigger location and have larger crowds? If so the effect of the current situation would probably sting more than in their old location.

Not sure on the "closer to downtown" part though, I've always felt that the Trap was a place you made a point of going to, not as much a location based destination.

If Property Taxes are the consideration, land closer to downtown is typically assessed higher so the effect of this increase would have been more severe.

That may not be the case, but it would likely have been a lateral move.

[polak]

Number of dining spots Downtown 200+
Number of nightclubs / pubs Downtown 50+

http://www.calgarydowntown.com/about...ces/facts.html

How does this compare to other cities of a million people?

Really hard to find info. I can find overall numbers for Ottawa but I can't seem to find overall numbers for Calgary. Just downtown.