Restaurant Matisse, having operated out of its lower Yates Street location since the late 1990's, has been forced to close, say its owners. The retail space will become the City of Victoria's first sanctioned marijuana dispensary if an active rezoning application currently before the municipality is approved.
Zagat-rated Restaurant Matisse shuttered as pot-shop operator seeks to open licensed dispensary
http://victoria.citi...sed-dispensary/
A Zagat-rated downtown Victoria restaurant has closed after nearly two decades in business due to what its operators are calling a forced situation.
Restaurant Matisse, a cornerstone of the lower Yates commercial district, opened at 512 Yates Street in 1998 and quickly became one of the Capital City’s top dining experiences. Having garnered praise and accolades from professional foodies to restaurant rating websites and blogs like Trip Advisor, Yelp, Zomato and the highly coveted Zagat restaurant rating organization, Matisse was considered by many as one of Victoria's fine-dining gems.
In a public statement released online, owner John Phillips attributes his restaurant's sudden closoure to the landlord’s “increased rent demands and management fees,” which “forced” his hand. Tenancy negotiations, the statement says, had been on-going on for a year. [Full article]