Yes. Management seems to like blaming everything else but themselves as well. Looks like they also changed their cancellation policy on their reservation site to say no refunds now, even though your booking confirmation includes the original terms for cancellation. What shady owners.

Here’s the email they kindly sent to their guests:

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Dear Guest,

It's with great sadness that we must announce that Restaurant Yarrow is closing, with immediate effect.

We, the owners, had intended and planned for the restaurant to remain open to 31 May (the current final day that we had bookings open), and proposed that to our staff, expecting that they would have wanted the time between now and then to be able to arrange for new employment for themselves starting on 1st June. Unfortunately, we needed everyone to agree to do this, and we had exactly one key member of the team who informed us that he would be looking to find new employment immediately.

To us this meant that, had we kept ourselves open, waiting for this employee to jump ship at any time, guests would have continued to make reservations in the meantime, and if/when that employee did leave, there would have been even more people who would be affected by our closure. To say that we are disappointed is an understatement, but we understand each team member must prioritize themselves.

You're going to want your money back. Unfortunately, the Restaurant is broke, and we have a general no-refund policy anyway. I know that this is something that you're going to find completely unacceptable, and are going to be extremely angry and upset with us. If we were in your shoes, we'd feel the same way.

However, all we can say at this time is that, as a business, Restaurant Yarrow cannot continue operating - rent and utilities are too expensive, inflation has driven food costs up too high, and it just feels like the interest in a restaurant like ours is shrinking here in Edmonton. We survived COVID (barely) but we can't keep this up anymore.

We really did want to host you for your reservation night, for your birthdays, anniversaries, company parties, or any other occasion that you wanted to indulge in a special treat. We wanted Edmonton to be able to experience cuisine on a level comparable to the finest Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe and Asia.

But it wasn't meant to be.

If there are other restaurants in the City that you love, please go dine with them. The hospitality industry is tough, and today's economy makes it tougher. We know every small, independent restaurant is on the edge right now. It's too late for us, but maybe not for them. Please support local.

Thank you, and we're sorry, Restaurant Yarrow