Taurus Property Group and Sable Gate are seeking a restaurant operator to establish a new dining concept at Kensington Gate, a prominent property in Calgary’s Kensington neighbourhood that is undergoing redevelopment.
The restaurant space is part of the broader redevelopment vision for the site and will be located adjacent to The Kenten, Sable Gate’s residential development currently under construction. The developers say they are taking a selective approach to finding an operator whose concept and experience align with their plans for the location.
The search is aimed at attracting a restaurant business that can establish its own identity while contributing to the surrounding commercial district.
Developers looking for the right concept
Kensington is home to independent businesses, restaurants, cafés, shops and cultural attractions. The neighbourhood attracts residents and visitors, providing a mix of potential customers for a new restaurant operation.
Taurus Property Group and Sable Gate are looking for an operator with a clear business vision, an understanding of its target audience and a concept that can distinguish itself in Calgary’s hospitality market.
Paul McCloy, senior partner at Taurus Property Group, said the developers are looking for a restaurant concept that can establish a lasting presence in the neighbourhood.
“We see this as an opportunity to create something that people will seek out,” said McCloy. “The location has tremendous potential, and we want to find an operator who shares our ambition for what it could become. We’re being selective because the right concept, paired with the right team, can make a lasting contribution to Kensington and to Calgary as a whole.”
The selection process will emphasize the quality of the proposed concept, the operator’s experience and the potential to develop a restaurant with lasting appeal.
The developers are not limiting the search to a particular restaurant format, instead focusing on finding an operator whose business can complement the wider redevelopment.
Restaurant to complement residential development
The proposed restaurant will form part of the broader vision for Kensington Gate and the adjacent Kenten residential project, which is under construction.
Sam Boguslavsky, president at Sable Gate, said the opportunity would allow a restaurant operator to develop a distinct identity at a prominent Calgary location while contributing to the surrounding development.
“There’s something compelling about giving a restaurateur the opportunity to put their own stamp on a prominent Calgary corner,” said Boguslavsky. “There’s real potential for a restaurant with its own identity and presence, something that complements The Kenten while becoming a destination in its own right. This restaurant will be an important part of the broader vision taking shape at The Kenten. We believe this project reflects where Calgary is heading, and Sable Gate is proud to contribute to the evolution of one of the city’s most interesting corners.”
The developers said their objective is to bring an experienced operator into the project who can establish a restaurant that serves the neighbourhood while attracting customers from elsewhere in the city.
In an interview with Retail Insider, McCloy spoke about the project.
What is the size of the restaurant space at Kensington Gate, and what is the anticipated timeline for its redevelopment and availability to a restaurant operator?
The restaurant space is 4,874 square feet. We currently anticipate that the space will be ready for turnover to the selected restaurant operator in Q1 2028, allowing them to begin their interior construction and build-out. Based on that timing, we are targeting a summer or fall 2028 opening.
One of the advantages of starting the process now is that we have time to find the right operator and engage with them early enough to coordinate their design and operational requirements with the overall development.
We have the opportunity to find the right operator first, and then work with them early enough to create something really special.
What types of restaurant concepts or cuisines are Taurus Property Group and Sable Gate hoping to attract, and what criteria will be most important in selecting an operator?
We are not prescribing a particular cuisine. We are much more focused on the calibre of the concept and the operator. We are looking for an elevated dining experience, but we are deliberately keeping the concept open. It could be fine dining, but it does not need to be. What matters most is that it feels special, distinctive and exceptionally well executed.
We are looking for a food-led, licensed concept with exceptional design, strong operations and service, and an experienced operator with a proven track record.
We are defining the calibre, not the cuisine.
Ideally, this becomes both a neighbourhood favourite and a destination that attracts people from across Calgary. We want a restaurant people choose because they genuinely want to be there, whether that is for a date night, business dinner, celebration or simply a great meal. The ambition is to create something distinctive enough to be worthy of the building and the prominence of the corner.
How does the location’s proximity to The Kenten residential development and Kensington’s established retail and restaurant district factor into the opportunity for a new restaurant?
The Kenten adds significantly to the setting through the quality of its architecture and the prominence it will bring to the site, but we see the restaurant as something that needs to establish its own identity and connect to the broader community.
The Kenten helps create an exceptional setting, but the restaurant needs to belong to Kensington and appeal to Calgary.
What makes the location particularly compelling is the combination of visibility, accessibility and neighbourhood context. It sits prominently at Memorial Drive and 10th Street NW, close to downtown and immediately connected to the Bow River and pathway system.
The project also includes dedicated underground parking for the retail, which is an important advantage for a destination restaurant in an inner-city location.
Kensington already has an established retail, dining and entertainment environment. It has been recognized as Avenue Magazine’s “Best Neighbourhood” We want the restaurant to complement The Kenten while drawing its energy and customer base from Kensington, the surrounding inner-city communities and Calgary more broadly.
Calgary’s hospitality sector is highly competitive, with changing consumer habits and operating costs presenting challenges for restaurant operators. What do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges for a restaurant opening in this location?
Calgary’s hospitality sector is certainly competitive, but it is also thriving. Calgarians have shown repeatedly that when an operator delivers a beautiful room, great food and beverages, strong service and a memorable experience, they respond.
Calgary is a competitive restaurant market because it is a very good restaurant market. When operators create something special, Calgarians show up.
We have seen that with a number of recent openings, including concepts such as Stable Palms Club and Francine’s. There is a real appetite in this city for distinctive hospitality experiences.
The opportunity here is to create something from the ground up in a highly visible location, within a thriving inner-city neighbourhood and alongside exceptional new architecture. The dedicated underground retail parking is also a meaningful advantage, particularly for a restaurant we expect to draw customers from well beyond the immediate neighbourhood.
The challenge is finding the right operator with the vision, experience and capital to execute at that level. There is also an advantage to engaging that operator early. The landlord wants to take a collaborative approach, and while the project is still being designed and constructed, there may be opportunities to coordinate restaurant requirements and create efficiencies in the eventual build-out.
Rather than simply hand someone a finished box, we have an opportunity to work with the right operator early and think about how the space should function as a restaurant.
Beyond filling a restaurant space, what is the broader vision for Kensington Gate, and how do you see the new restaurant contributing to the evolution of Kensington as a commercial, dining and community destination?
The broader vision for Kensington Gate is to create vibrant street front retail that remains connected to the neighbourhood and serves the surrounding community. The restaurant opportunity is somewhat different because we believe its potential draw can be much broader.
The Kenten is a very distinctive residential project, and we believe its architecture and quality have the potential to make it an important addition to Calgary’s built environment. The restaurant will benefit from that setting, but the prominence of the corner also gives it an opportunity to create an identity entirely of its own.
Kensington’s hospitality scene is already strong and continues to evolve. Recent additions such as TIPSIE, Stable Palms Club and Pali Room add to an established collection of restaurants, bars and gathering places in the neighbourhood, including Hayden Block, Vero Bistro and Pulcinella.
We want this project to build on that momentum.
We don’t simply want to fill 4,874 square feet. We want to put a restaurant on this corner that gives Calgarians another reason to choose Kensington.
Our hope is that it becomes a place people think of for lunch coming out of downtown, a date night, a business dinner or a special occasion. The street front retail at Kensington Gate will generally be more focused on serving Kensington and the immediate trade area. This restaurant has the opportunity to do that while also becoming a broader destination and gathering place.
If we get the operator and the concept right, this can be a restaurant that serves the neighbourhood and draws from the entire city.
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