City says it’s being a ‘responsible landlord’ by shutting down Continental Treat restaurant

The now closed Continental Treat on Edmonton's Jasper Avenue. (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton)

The city is responding to a plea from a longtime Edmonton restaurant for help in keeping its business alive.

The owner of Continental Treat Fine Bistro told CTV News Edmonton it was given one hour’s notice earlier this month to vacate its Jasper Avenue location while it was preparing nearly 500 Thanksgiving dinners.

“Just as we had a chance to succeed and move forward and thrive we were shut down in the most brutal way,” said Sylvester Borowka. “Who closes a restaurant on Thanksgiving? Why not give us 30 days to find another home?”

Borowka said the business has been in financial trouble since the pandemic and he declared bankruptcy in August, shutting down the Continental Treat on Whyte Avenue.

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He said he went from owning three companies to one, aiming to concentrate on his Jasper Avenue location.

“Business has doubled. We were recovering and it was the first time making profit after struggling,” he said.

He explained that he worked out a monthly payment plan with the city to pay owed rent and was under the impression they were going to work things out when he got the call on October 10 about the shutdown.

“At first I thought it was a joke but she said, ‘No. It’s not a joke,’ so I quickly drove to the restaurant and told my staff. We had one hour to leave and that’s what happened,” he said.

Borowka said his lease downtown was cancelled because it was tied to his Whyte Avenue location.

He said the business could keep going if the city issued a temporary lease but they refused.

An online post asks supporters to reach out to city staff including mayor-elect Andrew Knack to “help us fight to bring Continental Treat home.”

City response

In a statement, the city said it doesn’t currently have a lease in place with Continental Treat because it was terminated by their bankruptcy trustee earlier this month.

Real estate branch manager Chris Hodgson writes, “as a responsible landlord, we can’t allow anyone to use the space without a lease and the appropriate insurance in place, especially when there are other tenants living in the building.”

The statement acknowledged the restaurant’s hope to obtain a temporary lease but said it cannot legally enter into a new lease with a company that has entered bankruptcy.

The city acknowledged this is a “difficult time” for Continental Treat and their customers, and “we share the community’s disappointment.”

Borowka said he is scrambling to find a new location to hold a long-planned Halloween event that was scheduled for next week.