MEDICINE HAT, AB — A popular restaurant which closed back in the summer is expected to re-open its doors later this year.
Montana’s on Dunmore Road shut its doors in August.
A sign was posted on the inside of the front door thanking their employees and their guests.
A reason for the closure has not been given, but the restaurants parent company, Cara Operations Limited, had told CHAT News the chain would reopen in the ‘foreseeable future’.
A spokesperson for the company said it was the ‘right decision to temporarily close’, adding the company is working on finalizing the lease agreement and expect to reopen, fully renovated, by mid-2018.
New places have opened or are expected to open, while others have closed their doors.
District Bar and Grill announced they’ve closed their Box Springs location.
Houston Pizza also shut their doors.
Brown’s Socialhouse confirmed they would have a location in the Strachan corner development.
Business instructor at Medicine Hat College, Glen Allan, said the restaurant industry can be challenging because of all of the factors, including consumer taste, competition and location.
“The restaurant industry is a difficult industry to be successful in and especially over the long term,” he siad. “Consumers taste change, there’s lots of competition. There’s so many factors that play into how a restaurant does. It’s a very difficult industry to compete in.”
He said it’s important businesses adapt to the market and to the changing tastes buds of their customers, but even that can be a risk.
“You risk alienating your existing customer base if you change too rapidly but I think if you don’t grow and develop, and that’s true whether you’re talking about a restaurant or a retail store or a cell phone manufacture, you constantly have to adapt and change.”
