Juniper restaurant owners blame rising rent for closure

The owners of Juniper Kitchen and Wine Bar blame rising rent costs for the imminent closure of the 17-year-old restaurant in Westboro.

A fixture of Ottawas restaurant scene over the past 17 years, Juniper ownership said itwas no longer profitable inside aformer car showroom on Richmond Road.

• Hot cuisine: Tight-knit chefs bolster Ottawa restaurant scene

The restaurant moved from its old location on Wellington Street, just down the street from its last location.

This larger location cost moreand in the endwas not sustainable, according to a one-page message posted on the restaurants door and a message posted to Facebook.

• Read the entire Facebook post here

"The realities of running an independent fine dining restaurant are more challenging today than ever before. This is especially the case in neighbourhoods like Westboro where real estate costs have risen dramatically in recent years,"the Facebook post read.

"No matter how we looked at it, it was simply no longer viable for us to keep operating at the same standard of quality and remain profitable."

Closing 'tragic,' co-owner says

PeterRobblee, the restaurants co-owner, characterized the closing as "tragic" in the post, but refused an interview request.

Other restaurant owners in the area echoedRobbleescomment about rent, including Jennifer Wall. She is the co-owner of nearby Supply and Demand.

"Ottawa has really high rent for commercial spaces, even higher than places like Montreal and Toronto,"she said.

"Thats difficult and its right across the board. We hear it from many business owners."

The Wellington West Business Improvement Area has heard similar concerns from its neighbourhood restaurants. Hydro rates, property taxes and rent are also high, according to ZacharyDayler, the BIAs executive director.

Dayler said he believes restaurants need to stick to small spaces, unlike Juniper, to stay profitable. He did admit the costs are higher in trendy areas like Wellington West andWestboro.

"It's a double-edged sword because you want a thriving, exciting business area, but that does cost business owners,"he said.

The restaurant scene in Ottawa has changed a lot recently. That is the focus of a four-part series from the CBCs Sandra Abma,part one lookingat the areas tight-knit chef community.