Business owners hoping Downtown Dining week will attract Edmontonians to the downtown core

The Downtown Business Association is hoping Downtown Dining week will drive more Edmontonians into the downtown core, which has gone through some difficult times, especially since the onset of the pandemic.

“It’s always a challenge, it was a challenge even before the pandemic and it’s more of a challenge now,” says Tony Le, an Executive Chef for Century Hospitality Group.

Many downtown businesses have had a tough time while many office workers remain working from home.

“It’s still tough, absolutely. Office workers coming back is still one of our biggest pieces of advocacy with both the federal and provincial governments, we are seeing more of that. That consistent day-to-day lunch traffic is huge,” says Puneeta McBryan, the Executive Director for the Edmonton Downtown Business Association.

McBryan says Dining Week creates huge revenue for local businesses that may be struggling.

“Dining Week drives hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for our restaurants downtown, and in the depths of COVID, when there really wasn’t anything pulling people into downtown,” she says.

“Dining Week was kind of the one thing restaurants were looking to saying ‘that is the week that we know will be great for revenue, and getting people back downtown, and giving people a reason to check out what we have to offer.”

However, at a time when McBryan is hoping to bring more Edmontonians into the downtown core, Tuesday’s provincial budget had no money to directly help revitalize downtown Edmonton.

“I’d be lying if I said that didn’t sting a little bit in yesterday’s announcement,” she says.

Prior to the budget, Edmonton’s Mayor, Amarjeet Sohi asked the premier directly for investments in helping downtown recover from pandemic lockdowns, and those experiencing houselessness.

“We identified some immediate needs for mental health, for the homelessness crisis in our city, as well as the addictions crisis in our city, which is having a huge impact on our business, and as well as residents dying on our streets,” said Sohi on Tuesday.

While Edmonton is home to the legislature, it didn’t help when it came time for provincial funds.

“As the capital of Alberta, we deserve the support that is necessary to build a great capital city,” says Sohi.

The province is instead helping downtown Edmonton by bringing in sheriffs to fight crime.

“There’s the task force, they are still in the midst of figuring out their action plan. That’s the task force that Minister Ellis struck for public safety and addictions. So we still don’t know what those actions are, but its possible a funding announcement will come once that task force has their action plan laid out, and they actually know what they are putting their money into,” says McBryan.

“So I’m not looking at the budget and saying ‘they’re not doing anything.’ That’s definitely not the case. We’re looking at the budget and saying ‘Okay, there’s a little bit there, but we have a feeling there is more to come and we are hopeful about what may be coming.”

McBryan says there are things governments can do to help downtown restaurants. “Office workers coming back is still one of our biggest pieces of advocacy with both the federal and provincial governments, we are seeing more of that. That consistent day-to-day lunch traffic is huge.”

Dozens of restaurants will be participating in the week-long event which kicks off on March 15th and runs until March 26th. “It’s very important to see those faces again, and new faces,” says Le.