Riverside sports bar Average Joe’s closing after 16 years as owner says business will ‘pause’

A longtime Riverside sports bar is closing its doors after 16 years, with the owner of Average Joe’s citing years of mounting challenges that ultimately became too difficult to overcome.

The closure was announced Sunday night in an emotional Facebook post that described the decision as “heartbreaking,” while thanking customers, staff and the community for years of support.

Tuesday marked the restaurant’s final day of operations.

“It was just a decision that was made Friday morning,” owner Colleen Kelly told CTV News. “It wasn’t a light decision. It was just a responsible decision that we’ve had to make.”

Kelly said the business faced a series of setbacks over the years, including the COVID-19 pandemic, a fire, a mandatory shutdown and ongoing construction surrounding the property.

“We’ve been knocked down so many times, and we keep getting back up,” Kelly said. “The construction has just been a different beast.”

The closure also comes at a difficult time for the restaurant industry across Canada.

Vice-president of Central Canada for Restaurants Canada Kris Barnier said many operators continue struggling financially years after the pandemic.

“Today, we’re at about 36 per cent of restaurant companies saying they’re just not profitable,” Barnier said.

He said rising operating costs combined with customers spending less money at restaurants have created what he called “a bad recipe” for businesses trying to survive.

“You’ve got a lot of restaurants that are really struggling to hold on and to protect jobs,” Barnier said.

Despite the challenges, Kelly said she remains proud of what Average Joe’s became over the years.

“We’ve done a lot of good. We’ve helped a lot of people,” she said. “The fundraisers that we’ve done, the celebrations of life that we’ve done, the birthday parties — our regulars are our family, our staff is our family.”

Some staff members said the business became more than just a workplace.

“We’re all family, so we’re all here for each other all the time,” said employee and manager Megan Beauchamp. “It’s the best place I’ve ever worked.”

Customers gathered throughout Tuesday to celebrate the business and share memories from the past 16 years.

“It almost felt like there was a death in the family,” customer Ashley Roberts said of learning the restaurant was closing. “We spent lots of birthdays, lots of celebrations, lots of hockey tournaments here.”

Sarah Mitchell, who lives nearby, said Average Joe’s became a gathering place for the community.

“They created a really special space here,” Mitchell said. “Besides the bar and the entertainment, they provided for our community, the work they did helping charities and people organize functions has been immeasurable.”

The Riverside Optimist Club also partnered with the business for years on fundraising events.

“Devastating,” said club president Dwight Phillips of the closure. “We’ve worked probably six or seven years with Colleen on various Optimist events.”

Kelly said the overwhelming support from customers over the last two days has been emotional for staff and ownership alike.

“The support started in the parking lot,” she said. “People were parked and ready to come in before we were even open.”

While Average Joe’s is closing for now, Kelly said she hopes the business may eventually return in some form.

“Something will be happening again eventually,” she said. “We just have to pause.”

With files from Ricardo Veneza