Edmonton proves popular for U.S. restaurant chains looking to expand

With popular U.S. restaurant chains Chipotle and Chick-Fil-A setting up shop in Edmonton, one business expert says there are several reasons why Alberta’s capital city is a destination for them, including residents’ love of dining out.

West Edmonton Mall will be home to Alberta’s first Chick-Fil-A restaurant, which is aiming for a summer opening.

Karleen Rhodes, the location’s owner, got her first taste of her restaurant’s product as a teen in the U.S.

“You don’t really understand why something that you have in Atlanta isn’t necessarily in Edmonton,” Rhodes, who grew up near Edmonton, told CTV News Edmonton on Friday. “It’s something that I’m now so excited, over 16 years later, to be bringing to the people of Edmonton and introducing the product to Alberta.”

Construction is also underway for the city’s first Chipotle Mexican Kitchen location, which is also slated to open this summer in a new commercial development on Calgary Trail just north of Whitemud Drive. The restaurant chain says Edmonton’s rapid population growth is a major reason why it wants to enter the market.

“The economy is strong, and with the success that we’ve seen in Calgary, giving that our product is very liked by our customers in Calgary, we believe that we’re going to see the same success in Edmonton,” Anat Davidson, Chipotle’s managing director – international, told CTV News Edmonton.

Edmonton’s long history of attracting major U.S. restaurant chains can be credited to availability of space and affordability, says Heather Thomson, the vice-president of strategy, research and engagement for the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.

“A lot of these American food retailers that have come in, they just do well, and now we just see them (opening) even more and more locations,” Thomson said, adding that while favourable costs, taxes and available labour are key, “timing and having it ready to go is something that makes it’s a huge advantage to us.”

“In other jurisdictions, other cities, you may not be able to do it as fast.”

Thomson said it also helps that Edmontonians have more than average discretionary income.

“This is something that is very unique to the rest of Canada,” she said. “We have some of the highest proportions of dining out here in Edmonton compared to a lot of other cities.”