New food pop-up on Whyte Ave. meant to ‘meet people where they’re at’

A new rotating food hub on Whyte Avenue aims to give small Edmonton food businesses a chance to showcase their brands. CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach reports.

There’s a new restaurant space on Whyte Avenue that wants to give small businesses a place to call home for the summer.

The Hub on Whyte was opened Friday by Peter Keith and Glendon Tan, who said they’ve been sitting on the concept of an inclusive hub for restaurateurs since 2015.

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The Hub features community pop-ups and provides room for up-and-coming chefs in a “collaborative culinary space.”

“Restaurants are very expensive to open, food entrepreneurs need to raise a lot of money and make a pretty long-term commitment to have their own place,” said Keith. “The hub is meant to help bridge that gap.”

Currently featured in the space for the summer are local companies Beb’s Bagels and Balay Coffee.

Keith said The Hub intends to be “flexible” on how long companies operate out of the space.

“Our goal is to make it easy for them, make it accessible, and kind of meet people where they’re at,” he said.

Lindon Carter, co-owner of Beb’s Bagels, said the hub is a welcome change of pace after jumping from kitchen to kitchen with his business partner Luke Breiteneder.

“It’s pretty special … it’s pretty hard to be a small business, and especially in a restaurant, taking on the responsibility of a brick and mortar is very daunting,” he said.

Carter said the location, on bustling Whyte Avenue, is a prime space for a bagel shop. They also work out of several coffee shops in the area.

Each company that operates out of The Hub works as an independent business – meaning visitors need to check individual social media or websites to see times.

That doesn’t deter customers like Darian Araujo.

“I’m here for the [Whyte Avenue Art Walk] for the next two days, so I’m definitely coming back for more bagels … and also coming for the drinks too,” said Araujo. “I think it’s an awesome thing.”

Keith and Tan also co-own Meuwly’s, a catering company dealing in charcuterie and smoked meats in the Westmount neighbourhood.

Keith said that their first business helped them gain the experience they needed before they ventured into supporting other businesses almost a decade later.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Marek Tkach