Local Restaurant Thread

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by tete

Wow, Chronicles Pub, which replaced 80th and Ivy on 17th Ave SW, didn't last long. It didn't last long enough for Julie Van Rosendaal's article on them to get published.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...ouse-1.4354690

We went the day after their "grand opening" and weren't thrilled with it - nachos were on special but they didn't have any, they ran out the night before , husband's burger was dry and burned to a crisp. But yeah, that's one short restauarant life.

I never get this. Don’t businesses have to show the bank a 5 year business plan? It’s similar to the Smith closing down by my work. All this time and energy into renos, menu,hiring staff then poof in less than a year.

Maybe owners getting cold feet when they see how slow things are off the hop?

[Amethyst]

It sounds like they had no experience in running a restaurant or pub. In a tough industry, that's a dangerous path to take, IMO. You can't just put together all the cool ideas you have and think it will work out.

[jayswin]

I still can't believe ANYONE opens a bar or restaurant. I don't mean that in a derogatory way, I actually really envy people who truly dream of it and then do it, but you're almost guaranteeing losing everything.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

I never get this. Don’t businesses have to show the bank a 5 year business plan? It’s similar to the Smith closing down by my work. All this time and energy into renos, menu,hiring staff then poof in less than a year.

Maybe owners getting cold feet when they see how slow things are off the hop?

Business plans mean nothing when reality doesn't reflect the foot traffic that you expect, despite your best projections.

The Spanish restaurant beside 80th and Ivy - Las Canarias are possibly going to have to close as well. They are just running out of money and can't afford the staff costs from what I heard.

They have only been open 3 months in that location.

The issue is rent is astronomical in this city. Rates get set by the boom years and landlords and property taxes and op costs don't go down enough in lean years.

To be successful, you need very deep pockets - millions of dollars to ride out the first few years until your brand and marketability gets established in the conservative food culture here in Calgary.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Business plans mean nothing when reality doesn't reflect the foot traffic that you expect, despite your best projections.

The Spanish restaurant beside 80th and Ivy - Las Canarias are possibly going to have to close as well. They are just running out of money and can't afford the staff costs from what I heard.

They have only been open 3 months in that location.

The issue is rent is astronomical in this city. Rates get set by the boom years and landlords and property taxes and op costs don't go down enough in lean years.

To be successful, you need very deep pockets - millions of dollars to ride out the first few years until your brand and marketability gets established in the conservative food culture here in Calgary.

You bring up some good points, but rent is a known cost. One you can factor into a business plan. So are staff costs. I though people would have to show they have enough to float for a year at least on slow business.

I respect anyone who starts a business. It is tough work. I think the previous comment of not knowing what your doing and realizing it factors in heavily. Things probably snowball quickly.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

You bring up some good points, but rent is a known cost. One you can factor into a business plan. So are staff costs. I though people would have to show they have enough to float for a year at least on slow business.

I respect anyone who starts a business. It is tough work. I think the previous comment of not knowing what your doing and realizing it factors in heavily. Things probably snowball quickly.

I find it odd that would- be restaurateurs don't try to at least start small, like a food truck or a less expensive location to get thing going and get their brand recognized at least before going full tilt at it.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

You bring up some good points, but rent is a known cost. One you can factor into a business plan. So are staff costs. I though people would have to show they have enough to float for a year at least on slow business.

I respect anyone who starts a business. It is tough work. I think the previous comment of not knowing what your doing and realizing it factors in heavily. Things probably snowball quickly.

Some of the banks are very conservative in their risk management policies. I know for one of the majors that restaurants is classed as the riskiest business.

Some of the other smaller, more entrepreneurial focused banks (ATB) lend money too easily and only require business plans to show something like 3 months of operating capital and people don't have contingencies.

"And so when Collee lost his job in oil and gas, they took the plunge and sought out a location on 17th Avenue"

There's definitely been more of an entrepreneurial atmosphere in Calgary of late but it comes out of people losing their jobs...the problem is that they are starting retail business at the exact same time the recession has caused the pool of disposable income and corporate cards to dry up.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

[Amethyst]

Tried an Uzbek restaurant tonight. It's called Begim, on 17 Ave and 44 Street SE. The website is terrible, but all the reviews I found on various sites said it was great. And it is! It's a tiny place, in a converted old house, decorated with Uzbek garments and is owned and operated by an Uzbek family.

The food was amazing! I went with a group of 6, so we tried a lot of dishes and everyone enjoyed theirs. Uzbek cuisine is central Asian, with influences from many surrounding areas - Chinese, Indian, Persian, and Middle Eastern. They all have very aromatic spices, as Uzbekistan used to be on the silk road. I had the Osh, which is a rice pilaf dish, with lamb, carrots, onions, other vegetables, and garlic. I loved it and the portion was big enough that I have left-overs for lunch tomorrow. They are developing a new dessert menu and let us try one of their "test desserts" for free. It was very tasty, but the waitress said that it wasn't one of the top samples so probably won't make the final menu.

The waitress was very helpful explaining things and answering any questions we had. After dinner, one of the group asked her about some of the outfits that were on the walls, and it turned into a conversation on Uzbek dress and looking at her family photos. (You won't get this part unless you ask, so no worries if you just want to enjoy your meal and not have a social studies lesson.)

[tete]

I tried Begim for the first time a month or so ago - agreed, it is quite good and the owners are super friendly and helpful.

[dubc80]

Wow, I didn't know Double Zero in The Core had closed in July.
It seemed to be pretty busy there at lunch whenever I went there.

"The Double Zero Pizza restaurant in Calgary’s Core shopping centre closed July 14. Concorde Group, which owns Double Zero, said the lease had expired and they weren’t able to “renegotiate a new lease with the landlord that made sense in today’s economy.”

“With vacancies being much higher downtown than when they first opened, higher minimum wages, new beer taxes etc., every penny counts and it just came down to the lease no longer working,” spokesperson Sarah Geddes said.
https://globalnews.ca/news/3642713/downtown-calgarys-double-zero-pizza-divino-wine-and-cheese-bistro-close/

[crazy_eoj]

Had an amazing meal at Bridgette Bar last week for my first time there. It was honestly some of the best food I've had in Calgary in a long time and had heard mixed reviews from others that had been there before going. Anyways totally worth a shout out I was very impressed.

[Hack&Lube]

What is wrong with all these landlords asking for astronomical rent?

Would they rather have the place sit empty and businesses with 10-30 year track records leave the premises? Where is the $10,000 - $20,000 a month (for Stephen Ave, 17th Ave, etc.) rent that people are paying going to? They will then have to pay thousands in TI to get someone else to rebuild all that was torn out.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by dubc80

Wow, I didn't know Double Zero in The Core had closed in July.
It seemed to be pretty busy there at lunch whenever I went there.

Crap. I hope the Chinook location doesn't close.

Mixed feelings about Divino. At its original location on 1st street, it was one of only a handful of quality bistros in Calgary in the 90s, back when there was very few options in the price/quality range between Chianti's and La Chumiere. It was a favourite date restaurant. But when it moved to 17th ave it became the kind of overpriced hotspot that was bound to fail when expense accounts dried up in this city.

[OMG!WTF!]

Anyone trying this place?

http://darktable.ca/menuc.html

[JonDuke]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

Anyone trying this place?

http://darktable.ca/menuc.html

Wife just told me about this right now and I totally came here to see if anyone else was chatting about it. Sounds like a super unique experience.

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

Anyone trying this place?

http://darktable.ca/menuc.html

Apparently I am. I'm not sure about it, but my friend really wants to try it and I agreed to go.

[troutman]

Saskatchewan bar chain Leopolds moving into old Drum and Monkey space.

https://leopoldstavern.com/

Leopold's Tavern

16 hrs ·

ITS OFFICIAL! We open at 11am on Monday October 23! Super pumped to be a part of the amazing #beltline community! #seeyouatleos #leostavern #leosbeltline

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Amethyst

Apparently I am. I'm not sure about it, but my friend really wants to try it and I agreed to go.

It sounds kind of neat, I would be interested in trying it out. Let us know how it goes.

I wasn’t quite clear on the bathroom though - I get that they guide you, but is it also dark in there? I wouldn’t want to have to feel my way around that. I can barely find my way around mine at night or during a power outage.

[Fuzz]

Once seated, your guide server describes where you can find everything on your table and how to access the lighted bathrooms if needed (with the assistance of a blind server). No cellphones, watches, or other light-producing technologies are allowed in the dining room.

Not dark.