After more than 20 years on Kelowna, B.C.’s restaurant scene, a popular eatery is closing its doors for good.
“It’s sad. Really, it hurts,” said an emotional Wade Siever, owner of the Fixx Cafe. “I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this.”
The Lower Mission eatery has already served its last meal and now Siever is preparing for a liquidation sale.
“It’s very challenging, the price of food is a real thing right now,” Siever told Global News. “There are so many expenses with a restaurant. Insurance and staff wages have gone through the roof too and it’s just a real challenge coming from everywhere.”
The Fixx has joined other restaurants in recent months to call it quits, including Krafty Kitchen and Bar and the well-established Raudz Regional Table.
“It’s not a surprise but it’s tragic,” said Ian Tostenson, president and CEO of the B.C. Restaurant and Food Services Association.
The economic climate has been tough, especially for independent restaurants, which are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rising cost of food, higher interest rates and a labour shortage have all been contributing to the demise of many restaurants across the Okanagan and B.C., along with a slower-than-normal tourism season.
“Lack of tourism in the Kelowna region,” Tostenson said. “I think the Airbnb effect has been more devastating than anybody wants to admit.”
Siever said for him, the lacklustre tourism season was the final straw as profits dwindled even further.
“Probably about 15 per cent for us,” Siever said. “The city just didn’t seem as lively.”
According to tourism organizations, the state of the economy contributed to the slower season but changes to short-term rentals also played a part.
“Some people went to a hotel, some people didn’t come to the region,” said Ellen Walker-Matthews, CEO of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association. “I think overall, we lost that volume of people coming in because they chose to go somewhere else or do something different, because they wanted that Airbnb or VRBO type of experience and it wasn’t available as much to them as it had been in the past.”
With all the challenging conditions, the restaurant industry is bracing for things to get worse before they get better.
“I think we are going to see more restaurants closing the doors,” Tostenson said.
With that prediction, Tostenson is reminding the public to help support their local restaurants even in small ways.
“Buying a gift card, even for 10 bucks or 15 bucks or 20 bucks, you know, just give it to somebody in their stocking,” Tostenson said. “Those sort of things really help.”
The Fixx Cafe on Lakeshore will be holding its liquidation sale on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.