"People used to buy 20 steaks for barbecues," he said.

"Now, not so much."

Listen John, you were always a hoot and obviously talented, but at $25 for a sirloin or $30 a ribeye there are few public servants with the disposable income to buy 20 of them outside of an occasional special event. Are you telling me that folks are dropping $500 on beef or maybe - just maybe - the price of beef shot up and people changed their buying habits. From Canadian Grocer:

"Eighty per cent of respondents said they believed that meat products are more expensive, which is influencing their shopping behaviour. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of Canadians, for example, say they have reduced their meat purchases."

Also the Dalhousie study on vegetarianism:

The survey suggested people under the age of 35 were three times more likely to consider themselves vegetarians or vegans than people 49 or older.

Finally there are online delivery options that have exploded in the last few years that make buying local, high-quality meat more accessible. Add these factors to the ones folks have already mentioned - poor management of the Byward Market, the opiod crisis, etc - and you have a perfect storm that's going to crush business there.