Social Media Boosts One Local Restaurant
Japanese restaurant Yoshii Express (located at 10443 82 Avenue) opened in Old Strathcona in May 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With no online presence, owner Alan Demachi had been struggling.
In June, of Linda Hoang’s Instagram followers messaged her about the restaurant and Alan’s hardship, and encouraged Linda to give it a try. On June 30, 2020, she did, and shared Alan’s story on social media.
The next 48 hours were a whirlwind for Yoshii Express, with literal line-ups down the block at the restaurant, mainstream media coverage on radio and television news. In two days, Alan had sold out of everything and had to close to prepare more. By that point, Linda’s post had been shared thousands of times across several social media platforms.
In reflecting on why this particular post garnered so much attention, Linda doesn’t have an explanation, but believes it highlights that social media can have positive impacts: “Alan’s story is truly such an incredibly powerful example of how social media can be an amazing force for good, and how a single social media post can truly lead to change. It’s a heartwarming story that moved so many people.”
On the heels of this good news story, Linda will be launching a social media campaign called #AdoptAShopYEG to encourage more people to support local businesses in July.
In COVID-19-related News
- Workshop Eatery reverted back to its original concept and re-opened on July 6, 2020.
- Commodore and Baijiu are re-opening for dine-in service on July 7, 2020.
- Restaurant owners say the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy must continue or establishments will not survive the pandemic.
Openings
- Woodshed Burgers has officially opened their second location, in the former home of London Local (2307 Ellwood Drive SW).
- Cafe Neo opened in the west end at 10062R 151 Street at the end of June.
- Bodega has added a small retail shop to their Downtown location; it officially opened on July 6, 2020.
- Square 1 Coffee opens their Glenora location on July 9, 2020. They are located in West Block, 142 Street and Stony Plain Road.
- Locations of bubble tea purveyor The Alley and matcha specialist Tsujiri are now open in West Edmonton Mall.
- The Butchery is slated to open late summer 2020; check out some sneak peeks of the space here.
- Highlands is getting its own location of Kind Ice Cream, to open in early 2021.
Closures
- Villa Bistro and Royale have closed.
- Filipino restaurant Panciteria de Manila is closing its doors.
Local News
- Congratulations to Pablo, Clementine, Baijiu/Little Hong Kong and Bar Bricco for landing on the list of Canada’s 50 Best Bars.
- Food businesses including Tres Carnales Rostizado are excited about the prospect of Edmonton becoming a hub city for the NHL playoffs.
- Avenue Edmonton put together a food truck guide.
- Pho King on Alberta Avenue has suffered damage from a vehicle crashing into the restaurant. Fortunately no one was in the business at the time of the crash.
- Do you remember Mother Tucker’s Food Experience? The buffet chain started in Edmonton back in the 1970s before expanding across Canada and the US. It’s last three locations have closed permanently.
- Local senior Mariano Trivelin has been hosting an online cooking show serving up his favourite Italian dishes; the show is produced by his grandsons. It’s been so popular that they’ve received requests for merchandise, which will be available soon. Proceeds will be donated to the Capital Care Foundation.
- Campio Brewing is offering the chance to bid to be a “brewer for a day”, with proceeds raised going to the Edmonton Food Bank.
Beyond Edmonton
- Ghost kitchens may become permanent, particularly for larger chains conglomerates.
Urban Agriculture and Farming
- A local business owner has introduced c-can grow systems to Edmonton.
What I Ate
- In between some errands last week, Mack and I picked up some take-out from Al-Salam Pita. We’ve passed by the restaurant countless times but have never planned a visit. Their portions were massive, and the falafel were great! There is so much more on the menu we can sample in future visits.
Falafel plate from Al-Salam Pita
- To celebrate our ten years of living on 104 Street, we ordered in from Tzin, one of our favourite restaurants on our block. The mushroom gnocchi were fantastic, and of course, we had to indulge in their menu staple of bacon.
Date night in with Tzin
Only Here for the Food 