01-20-2015, 04:48 PM
(01-20-2015, 04:41 PM)BuildingScout Wrote: I'm serious. Most of the recent restaurant openings in downtown are struggling, the exception being the Duke Food Block. So why the need to have yet another restaurant in an area that is clearly not yet ready to support another one?
At this point Downtown needs more people: more residents and more workers. Once density is there, prime ground level retail space will be snatched of the market in no time.
Okay, I really was just saying that I personally find it a shame that the main floor of this beautiful (to me) building that interacts well with the street is not going to be a restaurant any longer. But are you positive that "most of the recent restaurant openings in downtown are struggling"? We've seen some close after relatively short periods (Boa Nova actually wasn't one of those), but is it true that "most" are "struggling"?
I see your point. I couldn't agree more that downtown needs more people. We're all aware that a virtuous cycle involves residents attracting more services which in turn attract more residents. To play devil's advocate, I might suggest that services (and particularly ones that cater to residents rather than workers) is what is still needed: Kitchener's has traditionally been a "9-to-5" downtown with plenty of employees and not enough residents. Maybe we do need more restaurants, and more people living downtown to frequent them, but not particularly more office workers.
That having been said, all I did say was that, in my opinion and having been to the restaurant when it was one, this is a great building for a restaurant.