Ottawa's Byward Market

[rocketphish]

Real Sports Bar & Grill in ByWard Market abruptly shuts its doors

Susana Mas, The Ottawa Citizen
Published on: November 16, 2016 | Last Updated: November 16, 2016 7:01 PM EST

Real Sports Bar & Grill in the ByWard Market abruptly shut its doors on Wednesday, with little more than a closed sign on its door.

The well-known downtown bar on George Street is owned by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which also owns the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors, among other sports clubs.

“Effective Wednesday, November 16, we have made the difficult decision to suspend operations and announce the closure of this location,” Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment spokesman Dave Haggith said in a statement sent by email to the Citizen.

“We would like to thank the city of Ottawa for welcoming Real Sports Bar & Grill so warmly four years ago, as well as the customers who shared their passion for food, drink and sports with us,” Haggith said.

“A special thank you also goes to the staff of Real Sports Bar & Grill for their dedication over the past four years.”

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...n-byward-market-abruptly-shuts-its-doors

[canabiz]

No surprise to see the above news. I have been at Real Sports Bar a few times and my impression has always been it is a glorified pub with over-priced food and drink.

The location is good but I don't know if many government employees, which make up the bulk of employment in this city, frequent this facility on a regular basis to make it viable. Businesses can possibly chalk up the bills for expenses but not the Joe Blow with a mortgage and car payment.

[Harley613]

I feel like a lot of locals are leaving the market to the tourists and college kids in favour of the high concept more mature offerings at Lansdowne, it's certainly making a dent.

[1overcosc]

^ This trend will only get more dramatic when Lebreton is redeveloped.

On the plus side, longer term this should lower commercial rents in the market and allow some more quirky stuff to open up there.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Harley613

I feel like a lot of locals are leaving the market to the tourists and college kids in favour of the high concept more mature offerings at Lansdowne, it's certainly making a dent.

Agree. I live in the market and still eat or drink a couple of times a month at Lansdowne.

Real Sports was probably a bit high end for Ottawa. It was a good place to watch sports. I also think that unlike Toronto, the high end market also doesn't overlap as much with the sports markets in Ottawa.

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by Harley613

I feel like a lot of locals are leaving the market to the tourists and college kids in favour of the high concept more mature offerings at Lansdowne, it's certainly making a dent.

As well as Lansdowne, there's also the Glebe in general, as well as Wellington West and the Richmond Road corridor. All of these areas have been developing names for themselves as destinations for higher-end restaurants, while the market has been left as a lunch/club spot.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Catenary

As well as Lansdowne, there's also the Glebe in general, as well as Wellington West and the Richmond Road corridor. All of these areas have been developing names for themselves as destinations for higher-end restaurants, while the market has been left as a lunch/club spot.

I wouldn't say the market is only a lunch spot. It still has a big chunk of the higher end restaurants. Centretown also has a few and others are scattered around.

[Kitchissippi]

The ByWard Market will bounce back when the LRT construction is over. I think it's suffering from transit and driving accessibility issues (and perceptions) on the part of residents, partly because the media has been going on too much about how much of a mess downtown is, especially the dramatic sinkhole coverage and knee-jerk reaction to the recent "tunnel collapse". The reality is, however, downtown hasn't been a pretty place lately with all the hoarding and construction. Hope next summer is a good one when most of it is done.

[Spoonsy]

Real Sports straight up sucked regardless of any Lansdowne influence or construction element

High beer prices combined with a no-pitcher policy, in a sports bar. Does not compute. What better way to discourage your target market...

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

I wouldn't say the market is only a lunch spot. It still has a big chunk of the higher end restaurants. Centretown also has a few and others are scattered around.

I realized after I wrote that that "left as" probably wasn't what I intended to say. The market isn't changing as much as the rest of the city is catching up with it.

[rocketphish]

More info on this closing:

Real Sports Bar shuts amid intensifying competition for Ottawa entertainment dollars

Peter Kovessy, OBJ
Published on November 17, 2016

Four years after it opened its doors in the ByWard Market with much fanfare, the Real Sports Bar & Grill suddenly announced it was closing permanently on Wednesday.

In a message posted to its website and social media channels, the bar – which is owned by the parent company of the Toronto Maple Leafs, MLSE – offered no explanation for shutting down.

“We would like to thank the City of Ottawa for welcoming Real Sports Bar & Grill so warmly as well as the customers who shared their passion for food, drink and sports with us over the past four years. Effective Wednesday, November 16, we have made the difficult decision to suspend operations and announce the closure of this location. A special thank you also goes to our staff of Real Sports Bar & Grill for their dedication over the past four years. Thank you Ottawa!” the message read.

The 380-seat venue had 99 flat-screen televisions as well as a 25-foot projection screen. While the original Real Sports Bar & Grill in Toronto is located steps from the Air Canada Centre, the Ottawa location was surrounded by other bars and restaurants.

Retail analyst Barry Nabatian said this was one of several challenges the business faced.

“The bar was too large and its noisy/busy concept did not have a universal appeal,” he told OBJ.

He said competition with other venues in the ByWard Market and, possibly more significantly, increasingly popular entertainment areas elsewhere in the city such as Lansdowne Park, Westboro and Wellington Street West, likely hurt Real Sports.

“The ByWard Market has not changed significantly in the last 30 years, whereas the demographics and lifestyles (of residents) have,” Mr. Nabatian said.

This is the second major closure of a ByWard Market business in recent months. In August, the owners of Murray Street restaurant announced that the eight-year-old business’s last night will be New Year’s Eve.

However, it’s not all bad news for the ByWard Market. The upscale Andaz Hotel opened its doors in late August and continues to generate a buzz, particularly for its rooftop patio.

And other sports bars continue to operate in the area, including Sens House, which is owned by the Ottawa Senators.

That bar opened two years after Real Sports. While some suggested the two clubs were engaged in an off-ice Battle of Ontario and competing for patrons, the operators themselves downplayed suggestions of a rivalry and said they were offering complementary products.

http://www.obj.ca/Local/Sports-and-enter...ition-for-Ottawa-entertainment-dollars/1

[TheGoods]

Originally Posted by canabiz

No surprise to see the above news. I have been at Real Sports Bar a few times and my impression has always been it is a glorified pub with over-priced food and drink.

The location is good but I don't know if many government employees, which make up the bulk of employment in this city, frequent this facility on a regular basis to make it viable. Businesses can possibly chalk up the bills for expenses but not the Joe Blow with a mortgage and car payment.

I am a bit perplexed with the statement that the restaurant was overpriced, I did not remember it being expensive, it wasn’t cheap in terms of a fast food joint Big Smoke Burger or an East Side Mario’s, so decided to look at the menu:

http://realsports.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/RSBG_Food_1016_FINAL.pdf

http://realsports.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Final-2016-Beverage-Menu.pdf

A burger and fries was $14, that is not that bad, I spent $15 the other day at Big Smoke at the Rideau Centre, it did include a drink and tax but, seriously, look at the menu, it wasn’t expensive, nor were the drinks.
The prices are in line with many places such as Local’s at Lansdowne. There is a small premium you are paying; that is for the atmosphere and the investment in the place, IMHO.

I have been there a few times, I liked the place but the place wasn’t for me, we felt uncomfortable, the crowd is very young.

The reason why I think it did not survive was the cost of investment (probably a huge mortgage), the huge square footage, and most likely the high rent due to the building they are in with the clientele they had (early to late 20s) which have the least disposable income.

[acottawa]

I tend to think it was too big for all but the biggest events (and there aren't that many of those).

[TheGoods]

Originally Posted by Spoonsy

Real Sports straight up sucked regardless of any Lansdowne influence or construction element

High beer prices combined with a no-pitcher policy, in a sports bar. Does not compute. What better way to discourage your target market...

Hmmm, I actually cannot remember ordering or even seeing a pitcher on a menu as an option in a long time. I might be frequenting the wrong establishments. Does the Sens House offer pitchers?

[canabiz]

Originally Posted by TheGoods

I am a bit perplexed with the statement that the restaurant was overpriced, I did not remember it being expensive, it wasn’t cheap in terms of a fast food joint Big Smoke Burger or an East Side Mario’s, so decided to look at the menu:

http://realsports.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/RSBG_Food_1016_FINAL.pdf

http://realsports.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Final-2016-Beverage-Menu.pdf

A burger and fries was $14, that is not that bad, I spent $15 the other day at Big Smoke at the Rideau Centre, it did include a drink and tax but, seriously, look at the menu, it wasn’t expensive, nor were the drinks.
The prices are in line with many places such as Local’s at Lansdowne. There is a small premium you are paying; that is for the atmosphere and the investment in the place, IMHO.

I have been there a few times, I liked the place but the place wasn’t for me, we felt uncomfortable, the crowd is very young.

The reason why I think it did not survive was the cost of investment (probably a huge mortgage), the huge square footage, and most likely the high rent due to the building they are in with the clientele they had (early to late 20s) which have the least disposable income.

I was not the only one who thought the food there was overpriced. A number of posters who commented on the Ottawa Citizen article also shared the same sentiment.

Regardless, they are now a footnote in history (at least in Ottawa). I have not been to the one in Toronto so I do not have any comment about that outfit.

[J.OT13]

Prices seem fair to me.

Maybe people were turned off by the fact is was owned by the Leafs.

[Lambda11]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Prices seem fair to me.

Maybe people were turned off by the fact is was owned by the Leafs.

May sound silly but I've actually opted to go to other sports bars in the area because of this fact. The couple times I did go to watch a game I didn't find anything about it bad in particular, just a little empty for what I would expect on a game night (probably due to it's large size more than anything).

[TheGoods]

Originally Posted by canabiz

I was not the only one who thought the food there was overpriced. A number of posters who commented on the Ottawa Citizen article also shared the same sentiment.

Regardless, they are now a footnote in history (at least in Ottawa). I have not been to the one in Toronto so I do not have any comment about that outfit.

Sentiment and reality are very different. I did see the comments from the Ottawa Citizen article and remember that it was mostly one individual that complained, he stated that he paid $16 for wings and $9 for beer, a few taught he was an idiot.

I looked at the menu, the wings were $15 per lbs and most beers were decently priced at $6, Molson tall boys for $7.75 (pretty good deal), there was one beer (specialty) at $9, I found one at $5.50. No way would I call that expensive, especially for the Market and venue. For the amount that has been spent on the place, I would expect to pay a small premium to have access to all the HD TV and the largest TV in Ottawa. For sure you can find cheaper in Ottawa but I doubt in the market, mostly a place that is run down, haven’t renovated in 20 to 30 years. Yes, you can get cheaper at places like The Prescott or Fathers and Sons but you cannot compare them.

[canabiz]

Originally Posted by TheGoods

Sentiment and reality are very different. I did see the comments from the Ottawa Citizen article and remember that it was mostly one individual that complained, he stated that he paid $16 for wings and $9 for beer, a few taught he was an idiot.

I looked at the menu, the wings were $15 per lbs and most beers were decently priced at $6, Molson tall boys for $7.75 (pretty good deal), there was one beer (specialty) at $9, I found one at $5.50. No way would I call that expensive, especially for the Market and venue. For the amount that has been spent on the place, I would expect to pay a small premium to have access to all the HD TV and the largest TV in Ottawa. For sure you can find cheaper in Ottawa but I doubt in the market, mostly a place that is run down, haven’t renovated in 20 to 30 years. Yes, you can get cheaper at places like The Prescott or Fathers and Sons but you cannot compare them.

You neglected to include the fact many of the posters who disagreed with the one who thinks the food was overpriced happen to be ex-employees or who have family members who used to work there

In any event, I stand by my original comment this is a glorified pub. In reality, it doesn't matter what you or I think. The fact is this outfit is no longer operating in our area and I hope the landlord can finf somebody to take over the space soon.

[lrt's friend]

Realistically, the Confederation Line is not going to make a whole lot of difference for the ByWard Market especially in the evenings. The reach of the Confederation Line is whole lot shorter than the Transitways and for the vast majority who live beyond that reach, we still have that unreliable bus transfer to get home with a bus every 30 or 60 minutes.

Right now, if you are going out for dinner or going to a club and live beyond a direct transit link, you are almost certainly driving to the Market as has been in the case in the past and at present.