Calgary Foodie
Active member
A few of my friends own restaurants and cafes in CABA and they tell me it's dark times. They tell me 40% drop in red consumption in their places and fixed costs keep going up.
Some of my favorite places that have been around forever have closed or will soon.
Some that I never thought would close like my favorite restaurant, This historic and highly acclaimed restaurant permanently closed its doors in September 2025 after 25 years of being in business.
Franca and Sal two Michelin Guide recommendations also went out of business last year. (The chefs publicly cited the severe economic reality, noting the impossibility of sustaining high-quality operations amidst crashing consumption and soaring daily costs.)
La Continental also closed its doors. This historic pizzería on Laprida street just closed its doors in early March 2026. Local news explicitly linked the closure to the sharp drop in consumption and the inability to cover fixed costs, marking a major loss for the Zona Sur community.
Downtown Microcenter area has 32% vacancy only. Without office workers there are no lunch crowds.
The massive electricity price increases are killing off the big pizzerias. People are just not spending what they were before. No one is drinking any wine either. Most of the wineries are having problems too. I heard from some friends delivering on Rappi and PedidosYa that deliveries are also falling and average ticket is down.
A 40% drop in real consumption and the struggle with "impossible fixed costs" (specifically utilities and inputs) perfectly mirrors the ongoing outcry from sector chambers like FEHGRA (Federación Empresaria Hotelera Gastronómica de la República Argentina). The 40% figure is a frequently cited metric to describe the severe year-over-year contraction in the hospitality sector.
Some of my favorite places that have been around forever have closed or will soon.
Some that I never thought would close like my favorite restaurant, This historic and highly acclaimed restaurant permanently closed its doors in September 2025 after 25 years of being in business.
Franca and Sal two Michelin Guide recommendations also went out of business last year. (The chefs publicly cited the severe economic reality, noting the impossibility of sustaining high-quality operations amidst crashing consumption and soaring daily costs.)
La Continental also closed its doors. This historic pizzería on Laprida street just closed its doors in early March 2026. Local news explicitly linked the closure to the sharp drop in consumption and the inability to cover fixed costs, marking a major loss for the Zona Sur community.
Downtown Microcenter area has 32% vacancy only. Without office workers there are no lunch crowds.
The massive electricity price increases are killing off the big pizzerias. People are just not spending what they were before. No one is drinking any wine either. Most of the wineries are having problems too. I heard from some friends delivering on Rappi and PedidosYa that deliveries are also falling and average ticket is down.
A 40% drop in real consumption and the struggle with "impossible fixed costs" (specifically utilities and inputs) perfectly mirrors the ongoing outcry from sector chambers like FEHGRA (Federación Empresaria Hotelera Gastronómica de la República Argentina). The 40% figure is a frequently cited metric to describe the severe year-over-year contraction in the hospitality sector.
