Continental Treat opens new location at the German Club

After weeks of uncertainty, Continental Treat has a new home and will reopen on Nov. 8. CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson has the story.

Continental Treat Fine Bistro has a new home on the city’s south side.

The longtime restaurant, which previously had locations on Jasper Avenue and Whyte Avenue, will be operating out of the German Canadian Cultural Association building at 8310 Roper Rd. The restaurant is set to open on Saturday.

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“About five different realty companies and developers approached us,” Continental Treat owner Sylvester Borowka told CTV News Edmonton.

“They offered different areas, from St. Albert to Sherwood Park. The only challenge to us was that those projects were three to six months, or even a year before we could open. With the German Club, it was pure luck because Frank reached out, talked about it… we thought it would be perfect because, you know, we are European, we’re from Poland, from Silesia, and the majority of our customers were from Europe, especially from Poland, from Germany, Austria and so and so. We thought it would be a perfect fit for us.”

“I was a few days late to the game realizing what was happening,” German Canadian Cultural Association vice president Frank Friesacher said.

“The last several days (have) been a lot of discussions and planning. We’re very excited to have Sylvester and his team, the Continental Treat name associated with us here at the German Club.”

Continental Treat’s more than 40-year tenure in the city came to an abrupt end on Oct. 10 when the restaurant was given one hour to vacate its Jasper Avenue location by its landlord, the City of Edmonton. In a statement, the city told CTV News Edmonton that Continental Treat’s lease had been terminated by its bankruptcy trustee earlier in the month.

“It was a very challenging time, I think for all of us,” says Borowka. “Especially my staff. I’m usually pretty good under pressure, and that’s from working in high stress environments in the kitchen. I was always the most relaxed person, because you still knew you had to make it happen. Same thing here.”

“We have no concerns,” said Friesacher, who describes the situation as a win-win.

“It’s been very co-operative, everybody’s been very positive and focused on, ‘How do we make things happen? How do we get Continental Treat’s loyal customer base to be enjoying wonderful food and drink, and come and see our club and see everything that we have to offer.’”

Borowka says about 66 per cent of the Jasper Avenue staff will be returning to the new location.

“Some of them, they did move on,” he says. “It was … over a month. Lots of them have children and families, so they couldn’t wait any longer.”

Borowka told CTV News Edmonton in October the business had been in financial trouble since the pandemic and he declared bankruptcy in August, shutting down the restaurant’s location on Whyte Avenue to focus on its downtown counterpart.

The 40-year-old German Club building hasn’t been regularly open for regulars and guests since the pandemic. Continental Treat is moving into the area previously known as The Black Forest Restaurant. Friesacher says the area’s name moving forward is still “up for discussion.”

“We’ve just been in the discussions about what we could do with this space,” Friesacher said.

“What can we do here? How can we make better use of this space? And then this opportunity has arisen. It’s just a natural fit. Continental Treat makes some of the finest European fare that one can get in Edmonton. It fits naturally with us, with our membership and what we’re trying to accomplish here.”

The new location is smaller than the Jasper Avenue location. It will not be gluten-free certified, as the new kitchen is gluten-free friendly. The restaurant menu will not change, and staff will be conducting “deep cleans” and “very careful wipe downs” to ensure dishes remain gluten free.

At the time of its sudden closure, Continental Treat was preparing to host a large-scale event with tickets already sold.

“We have refunded over 50 per cent,” says Borowka. “And Wednesday, we’re going to continue refunding, because we already will make some profit.”

“All of the profits that we will be making will be going towards that.”

The restaurant is still planning to host the “over-the-top” large-scale events it’s known for. Borowka says plans are already in the works for New Years Eve, using the German Club’s ballroom that is currently under renovation.

“We’re all excited, because there’s a lot of work to be done,” says Borowka. “We’re starting from scratch, all the prep work and all of this. I guess, we’re more excited than nervous, because we just want to serve our customers. We’re incredibly delighted how many people reached out.”

Borowka says it’s hard for him to find the words to describe how he feels.

“We’re thrilled to work with the German Club,” he says. “They accept us like family, and we’re just very grateful that they did reach out to us.”

“Some of the finest schnitzel and rouladen in town can be had here at the German Club now through Sylvester and his team,” says Friesacher.

The new restaurant’s hours are still being decided upon. It will be closed for Remembrance Day.

With files from CTV News’ Amanda Anderson and Sean McClune