Downtown Edmonton restaurant that closed this summer appears to be mocked by city employee
Posted July 30, 2026 8:52 am.
Imagine running a restaurant, going out of business, and seeing a city planner appearing to mock you on social media.
That’s what the co-owner of Wilfred’s in Edmonton’s Brewery District says happened, calling out the city planner’s comment for its lack of awareness and empathy.
“The first comment, I thought, was inappropriate,” Marcus Purtzki told CityNews.
The comment in question, from city planner Matt Goebel, was on a post about Wilfred’s closure.
“You guys are doing better advertising for closing than you did when you were open lol,” he wrote.
Wilfred’s social media person replied to Goebel’s comment, asking for “some compassion.”
Goebel replied: “I think you’ve had plenty.”
Purtzki feels the comment from a city employee confirms an existing narrative that the City of Edmonton doesn’t “really understand what’s going on in the downtown core with construction and multiple projects.”
“They’re kind of tone deaf to what’s going on, and that was a very tone-deaf remark that he made,” Purtzki said.
Wilfred’s, which was on 121 Street NW, announced it was closing in an Instagram post on July 26.
“Thank you for supporting us as a small restaurant and helping Wilfred’s grow into something far more meaningful than we ever imagined,” the brunch spot wrote at the time. “The connections we have made over the years created a true sense of community, and that is all thanks to you.”
The closure came amid a wave of several downtown-area restaurants and businesses closing this summer. The owners of those businesses have pointed to construction, rising costs, and city policies as the reasons for their closure.
CityNews called the Goebel to discuss his social media comment.
“I very much regret making the comment, and I will certainly not be making any comments on any social media going forward,” he said. “It was a silly stupid mistake on my part. I don’t know what more I can say.”
Shortly after the call, the comment was deleted.
In a statement to CityNews, the City of Edmonton said its employees are “expected to maintain a high standard of personal conduct and professionalism, including in their use of social media.”
“The City of Edmonton takes allegations related to the Code of Conduct very seriously and conducts thorough investigations when necessary. Due to this being a personnel matter, we will not be providing further comment.”
The city did say, in that same statement, it was an “active supporter of our local entrepreneurs and business owners.”
“We know that a strong business environment encourages economic growth and investment that is foundational to sustainability. We’re working closely with business partners to provide additional support for existing businesses while focusing on efforts to attract new ones.”
Purtzki hopes the city and its employees will be more mindful of their comments and business owners’ overall concerns.
“I feel like their management of the city, the leadership there, isn’t there to navigate all of these little things like the restaurants and businesses that are operating,” he said.
