Albert, opened well reviewed restaurants in the stunning space

Edmonton restaurant owners tackle black

It fall in Edmonton and a view of the shimmering gold of the river valley is much coveted. canada goose outlet europe Chef canada goose trenton jacket uk Scott Downey hopes that spectacular vista, combined with a stellar kitchen, will lure diners in droves to his chic new eatery, The Butternut Tree.

But Downey, who has an impressive culinary pedigree and more than a little charm, is taking a big risk on The Butternut Tree. Located in Oliver, close to the Alberta legislature, the site has struggled to retain a restaurant and has a reputation as a bit of a black hole money goes in, but it never comes out.

Businesspeople with other successful eateries, including Norman Campbell of Normand and Tony Saporito of Nello in St. Albert, opened well reviewed restaurants in the stunning space between 2000 and 2013, only to retreat. Breathtaking view notwithstanding, the 3,500 square foot space tucked inside the Ledgeview Centre (9707 110 St.) has sat empty for long periods of time.

buy canada goose jacket The Ledgeview Centre isn the only seemingly perfect restaurant location in Edmonton that has persistently felled tenants. The Metals Building, located on the corner of 104 Street and 102 Avenue, would also appear, at first glance, to have a prime downtown location going for it. But four restaurants have come and gone in the canada goose uk distributor last five years, including Ric Grill, and most recently, Stage 104. A few months back, in a move that had some shaking their heads, Bodega Highlands tackled another cursed space on 112 Avenue and 65 Street. The space has chased out four other restaurant occupants since 2010. buy canada goose jacket

So what the deal? Some of these locations have had top notch talent in the kitchen, and proprietors with a solid track record. If good food and location can fill the space with happy chatter, what else can? Are there stubborn, chain rattling ghosts that haunt particular spaces in Edmonton, rendering them unable to survive? And if so, where does one find an exorcist?

Against all oddsMake no mistake; it not easy to run a restaurant. Oft quoted American statistics note that 80 per cent of new restaurants are out of business within five years. The owners who succeed often do so in spite of odds stacked against them, which in Edmonton include pricey downtown rents of up to $45 per square foot, ongoing minimum wage hikes, stiff parking rates and high labour turnover. Margins are notoriously slim restaurants turning a profit of three per cent are thought to be exceedingly lucky.

Though location is regularly cited as the most important key to success, it no guarantee. Take the Metals Building (10190 104 St.), which is in the heart of the burgeoning downtown restaurant district. Trendy eateries from Tzin to the Blue Plate Diner are long term neighbours, the nearby Rogers Place is a draw for pre game diners, and the space oozes character, with wood floors and a brick walled interior.

The Metals Building has canada goose outlet canada seen four restaurants come and go in the last five years.

But the last tenant, Kyle Jacober of Stage 104, said the building is not the slam dunk you might imagine. It has an awkward entrance with a vestibule and a flight of stairs that must be negotiated before you can get to the front door of the restaurant.

canada goose uk shop steps, the hallway, it canada goose outlet online uk not naturally a warm way to enter a restaurant, said Jacober, who opened the space in the summer of 2015 and closed it less than two years later. beautiful inside, but there is something about it that doesn captivate anybody. Maybe it the layout. brought in an expert who said it would take a $1.5 million renovation to make the cavernous 6,000 square foot space work. canada goose uk shop

come in and they want to take a short cut and be low budget, and that what we did, said Jacober candidly, noting he and his partner were under resourced for the effort. really you got to redesign it so that it interesting and intriguing. also doubts whether an independent operator can succeed in a space the size of the Metals Building, which has roughly 160 seats. A high profile location does matter, but so does the business model.

restaurant of that size needs to be a big brand restaurant, like an Earls, or run canada goose trillium uk by one of the big operators who has the marketing and the deep pockets to make sure it full. You paying a high premium rent for that location, and that kind of rent probably doesn fit with the independent nature of 104 Street, said Jacober, noting leasing costs totalled $23,000 monthly at his former restaurant.

cheap Canada Goose Jacober is not tempted to try his luck with another restaurant in another location. cheap Canada Goose

Canada Goose Coats On Sale will never go back. It the worst business in the world. you happy with foodRunning a restaurant makes cage fighting look like a pleasant way to spend an evening. To understand why some operators risk bankruptcy and humiliation in an industry designed to pummel, you have to understand chefs. Often, they grew up in a household with a Nonna or Poppa who dolloped out dumplings with love. Making people happy with food is in a chef DNA they glimmer with glee if you swoon over their hand crafted raviolo. Canada Goose Coats On Sale

canada goose store In the same way having a baby defies economic good sense, a restaurant is not a purely businesslike venture. It not just about crunching the numbers. canada goose store

Leasing agent Casey McClelland is with Colliers International, which brokered the deal to put The Butternut Tree in the Ledgeview Business Centre.

canada goose uk black friday have to have that passion and that game plan, said Casey McLelland, a leasing agent with Colliers International who, along with colleagues Mike Hoffert and Kevin Glass, put together The Butternut Tree deal for the new landlord of Ledgeview Centre, Hungerford Developments. done deals with a group that we were a little concerned about, and then they knock it out of the park, because they leave it all out there. They have to love what they do, and you can tell when they don even with drive and a good business plan, things can go wrong. Tony Saporito makes tomato sauce out of pure passion, Canada Goose online and he was already running a successful eatery, Nello’s, when he canada goose factory sale bought into the Ledgeview Centre in 2013. Saporito dad, Nello, started the St. Albert eatery in 2002, and Tony took it over in 2010. It regularly receives accolades for its food and service by sources including the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce. When he took his expanded concept, titled Antonio by Nello, to the Ledgeview, Saporito was confident enough to sink $150,000 into a new kitchen. He expected the view and his family reputation for excellent food and generous portions would signal success. canada goose uk black friday

Tony Saporito is the chef and owner of Nello’s in St. Albert.

It didn Saporito says the Ledgeview location is tricky. It on the second floor, so not visible from the street, and it also easy to miss a key turn from 109 Street to 97 Avenue. would be driving around https://www.amigosdecontreras.es and calling because they couldn find it and the next thing you know, they on the other side of the cheap canada goose bridge, said Saporito. And there is so much competition. So many restaurants. found himself in repeated disputes with the former building owner over issues from parking to signage. He feels he could have made a go of the space with better support from the former ownership.

would have taken time, but it was there, he said wistfully, like a lover mourning the one that got away. Christmas, with all the lights at the legislature, it probably the best view of any restaurant there is in Edmonton. irresistible dreamSo if a quality owner and a beautiful space have not spelled success, repeatedly, why would anybody take over a black hole? Samuel Johnson was talking about remarriages when he called them a of hope over experience. But you could say the same thing about a restaurant.

Having a restaurant is a dream that proves irresistible for some chefs. They imagine happy customers in a hopping space, appointed with just the right lighting and music, and redolent with the smell of comfort food. Indeed, the compelling dream of creating a memorable experience for diners has kept partners Chris Mena and chef Lino Oliveira toiling over their food businesses for nearly 10 years.

The duo owns Sabor, Bodega Tapas Bar at Sabor and Urbano Pizza Co. In 2016, they also decided to take over an abandoned Italian/Tunisian joint in Highlands at 6509 112 Avenue. In the beginning, they saw it as a commissary for their catering business. But once the duo stepped inside, they were bewitched by the space.

said, canada goose uk this is a good looking space and it would be a shame not to turn it into a tapas bar, recalls Mena, noting rent in Highlands is way cheaper than downtown. is an artist, and we have the talent to be able to see things.

canada goose coats Chris Mena, left, and chef Lino Oliveira are the owners of Highlands Bodega. canada goose coats

uk canada goose The two had grown up in the area, and they knew the neighbourhood and its patrons. The partners were certain they could sell a concept that concentrated on delicious but modest wines, and delightful, but reasonable, small plates. uk canada goose

Canada Goose Parka The partners smudged with sage get rid of the bad energy, said Mena, whose mother brought in her priest to bless the dubious space. They also executed a facelift, something the most recent owners, Olio d Oliva and Creole Envie, hadn bothered to do. Cowhide bench seating and a charming backyard patio emerged when Highlands Bodega debuted in the summer of 2016. The joint has been jumping ever since, expanding its service from evening tapas to brunch on weekends, too. Canada Goose Parka

Renovating is of the utmost importance if you plan to take over a cursed location, said local restaurant designer, Joe Johnson of Workspace, the firm behind Daniel canada goose jobs uk Costa runaway successes on Jasper Avenue, Corso 32, Bar Bricco and Uccellino. Renovating is about putting your own stamp on the space.

canada goose clearance a new operator is coming in, it all about the branded experience, said Johnson. is why Dan Costa does well. It about the space, but it also about the ambience, right down to the music and the quality of the glasses and the lighting and the food and the staff. canada goose clearance

What Johnson is talking about is creating a restaurant culture. Yes, it the chef vision, but it also his apron. It the price point, and perceived value. It the wine and the wait staff, but it also about the box in which patrons take their leftovers home.