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Banners Restaurant closes for good at Tyee Plaza

The end of an era: A well-known diner in Campbell River has closed its doors, for now at least. 

The ‘open’ sign on Banners Restaurant at the Tyee Plaza on Shoppers Row has been turned off indefinitely. The family restaurant, a local landmark, featured waterfront views and was situated across from the ferry terminal.

Locals pulled up last month to find a notice posted to the front door. It states, “Banners Restaurant will permanently close at this location as of 8:00 pm Saturday, July 17th, 2021. Watch for an announcement of our new location. We thank all our loyal customers and can hardly wait to see you again.”

Over on the Banners Facebook page, a July 26th post reads, “We are moving… We will be closed for a while to get our new location ready.”

Karen Adam, the owner since 2003, says the restaurant — first opened in the 70s — was really showing its age.

“It needs a lot of work. The landlord has just a ton of stuff he has to deal with in that spot, and the stuff I had to deal with was overwhelming. It didn’t make it viable, it was no longer viable,” she explains.

“But the landlord will take care of the building, and I’m sure the next tenant will have a lovely time there, but it won’t be me.”

Adam says the closure was sudden. She says she wasn’t prepared for it but looks forward to what lies ahead.

“Just moving forward from there,” she tells My Campbell River Now. “I’m looking at a couple of different possibilities. I’m rethinking my business model.”

Adam continues, “There aren’t any commercial kitchens available in town that I found that are suitable. So, you know, there’s a lot of expense and time involved with getting something of that magnitude done.”

In the meantime, Adam plans to pursue a smaller venue while still serving the same style of food. “Just maybe not all of it,” she notes.

And when it comes to being a restaurateur in Campbell River, Adam describes it as a taxing task with a lot involved. But it seems that’s what keeps her going.

“There are wonderful people that work for you, but then there are situations,” she adds. “It was very challenging, but I really enjoyed it. Obviously, I did, or I wouldn’t want to do it again.”

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