Like many Calgarians, Laura Bailey loves to go out for a meal. But how often and where she dines changed several years ago when the price of oil dropped.
“We still like to meet and go out and spend time together but we are careful about where we go so we find places that have really good food and it’s not overpriced,” Bailey said, while enjoying breakfast at Grumans Delicatessen in downtown Calgary on Saturday morning.
Peter Fraiberg owns the deli Grumans and has been in the restaurant business since the 1980’s.
“The city was booming” Fraiberg said, reminiscing about the time when oil was at a $100 per barrel. “And there was so much going on and you could get away with more. You can’t get away with anything anymore.”
He said a combination of low oil prices, increased rent, and minimum wage increases have made running his catering and deli operation more challenging. Despite that, he’s managed to expand his business by opening a new location on Elbow Drive last year.
“It’s slowly now starting to come back,” Fraiberg said.
Fraiberg credits his success to doing more with less. Staff hours had to be cut and he’s had to keep menu prices in line with what Calgarians can afford. He points to high end places in Calgary that have shut their doors recently.
“You just have to look around and see the ones that are closed, that ‘white tablecloth’ thing is kind of gone. It has evolved and it has changed,” Fraiberg said.
Over in Britannia Plaza, Dominique Moussu expanded his restaurant too, with a second location of Suzette Bistro.
Moussu said he had to be resourceful to make it work.
For the first time on Sunday, a sign on the door announced the new location will be closed on Sunday evenings as a way to cut wage costs. Both the Mission and Britannia Bistros are thriving, Mousso said, because of keeping things quick and simple.
“French food has always been pretentious and expensive and a little bit long to be served. We try to be fast and not pretentious and give the best service as we can for a really good price,” Moussu said.
“I think it’s getting better this year. I feel like the economy is better and people see more happy. Hopefully yes but it’s too soon to say. But now we have been open for a few months and it has been successful. Hopefully will continue in the new year,” Moussu said.
The latest job figures show Alberta’s jobless rate is at 6.9 per cent which is down from 8.5 per cent a year ago.
While business owners and economists say it is proof that recovery is real, there is no guarantee for many local shops as they continue to face increased costs.
“If people don’t continue to support us we may be gone one day. I don’t think that’s going to happen and I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen but we need the support from Calgary,” Fraiberg said.
Comments