Talking about Rossdale

Uh, but before we do that, I feel like we should address the topic that seems to be on everyone's mind these days, which is these restaurant closures downtown.

And, uh, I think it's worth bringing up for a few different reasons.

I think you and I both have thoughts about it.

People might wanna know what we think about that.

We pay close attention to food and business in the city at Taproot, so we've got some insight that might be useful to share.

Mm-hmm.

And then the third one is kind of a weird one, Stephanie, but I just feel like every summer there's some kind of controversy.

There's some kind of thing-

[laughs]

... that happens that people just, like, can't get past, and it feels a little, at the moment at least, that this summer it's gonna be restaurants.

So f- for those of you who maybe aren't aware, several restaurants have closed downtown in particular over the last couple of weeks.

This has caused people in the business community and others to raise concerns, to say, "What are we gonna do about this?" What do you think, Stephanie? What's your take when you've been reading all of the news about these restaurant closures and, uh, the reaction from people online?

[sighs] It's complicated.

I don't necessarily want to, uh, immediately draw a line to, uh, like a j- a trend or a, a coincidence doesn't necessarily mean there's a common cause behind them, right?

Yeah.

Um, there are lots of reasons why a restaurant might close, and not all of them are Andrew Knack's fault.

Um, so we-

[laughs] In fact, most of them probably are nothing to do with city council or the mayor.

There's, there's so much here.

I think that it's, yeah, it's, I think it's unfair to completely put the blame for these things on Edmonton City Council decisions because for the, on the, on the, on the one hand, a lot of these decisions were made more than four years ago, four to eight to 10 to 12 years ago.

Like, Imagine Jasper Avenue Vision and the Valley Line LRT construction, like, that is not on the current council's hands necessarily.

And also, like, I, when people say, you know, attendance is down at a restaurant because of construction or because of parking, I genuinely have a hard time understanding that, and I'm not trying to be snarky at all.

Hmm.

I genuinely have a hard time empathizing or sympathizing with this because never in my life have I wanted to go to a restaurant, gotten a roadblock, literal or metaphorical, in my way, and returned and went home.

I simply problem solve.

Uh, but before we do that, I feel like we should address the topic that seems to be on everyone's mind these days, which is these restaurant closures downtown.

And, uh, I think it's worth bringing up for a few different reasons.

I think you and I both have thoughts about it.

People might wanna know what we think about that.

We pay close attention to food and business in the city at Taproot, so we've got some insight that might be useful to share.

Mm-hmm.

And then the third one is kind of a weird one, Stephanie, but I just feel like every summer there's some kind of controversy.

There's some kind of thing-

[laughs]

... that happens that people just, like, can't get past, and it feels a little, at the moment at least, that this summer it's gonna be restaurants.

So f- for those of you who maybe aren't aware, several restaurants have closed downtown in particular over the last couple of weeks.

This has caused people in the business community and others to raise concerns, to say, "What are we gonna do about this?" What do you think, Stephanie? What's your take when you've been reading all of the news about these restaurant closures and, uh, the reaction from people online?

[sighs] It's complicated.

I don't necessarily want to, uh, immediately draw a line to, uh, like a j- a trend or a, a coincidence doesn't necessarily mean there's a common cause behind them, right?

Yeah.

Um, there are lots of reasons why a restaurant might close, and not all of them are Andrew Knack's fault.

Um, so we-

[laughs] In fact, most of them probably are nothing to do with city council or the mayor.

There's, there's so much here.

I think that it's, yeah, it's, I think it's unfair to completely put the blame for these things on Edmonton City Council decisions because for the, on the, on the, on the one hand, a lot of these decisions were made more than four years ago, four to eight to 10 to 12 years ago.

Like, Imagine Jasper Avenue Vision and the Valley Line LRT construction, like, that is not on the current council's hands necessarily.

And also, like, I, when people say, you know, attendance is down at a restaurant because of construction or because of parking, I genuinely have a hard time understanding that, and I'm not trying to be snarky at all.

Hmm.

I genuinely have a hard time empathizing or sympathizing with this because never in my life have I wanted to go to a restaurant, gotten a roadblock, literal or metaphorical, in my way, and returned and went home.

I simply problem solve.