3rd Edmonton restaurant to close down this month, owner blames downtown construction
Posted June 25, 2026 7:41 pm.
Last Updated June 25, 2026 7:45 pm.
Not one, not two, but three different downtown Edmonton restaurants have announced they are closing their doors this June — the latest being PlayWright, inside the citadel theatre.
The restaurant owner Steven Brochu says the downtown construction is to blame. He says the construction and road closures have made it difficult for customers to get to his business.
PlayWright opened its doors two years ago and a year later as construction on 99th Street began, the restaurant says its doors blocked off, forcing customers to detour through the theatre.
Even though the construction is now almost complete, he says the loss was too great to wait for it to finish later this year.
“It didn’t help when we started with not knowing about the road construction that impacted our business and caused it to fall further and further behind in rents, paying suppliers and paying our staff,” Brochu said.
PlayWright is the third restaurant to announce its closure joining Kommune Café and Khazana, both of which blamed the construction in part for their exit.
Downtown Revitalization Coalition fears that there could be more this construction season.
“How many more businesses are going to go out of business before something changes,” said Cheryll Watson, chair, Downtown Revitalization Coalition.
She says how the City Hall views a construction project’s success should change.
“Construction projects could include business survival, so not just on time and on budget, but the survival of the businesses that surround that construction project,” she added.
Mayor Andrew Knack, calling PlayWright’s closure a huge loss, agreed with Watson and said the City of Edmonton will review road blockades that impact businesses.
“I have raised the idea of some type of financial assistance program, for a number of reasons that never ended up getting through council at the time,” Knack said. “Is that something we have to reconsider? I guess it depends on what the council wants to approach this.”
As PlayWright readies to shut its doors, Brochu says there is still a future for businesses in downtown. But he cautions anyone looking to invest to be ready for a potential road block.
“No one has a crystal ball. There is information out there. Take your time, move slowly and be ready for a sudden change in anything.”
