Cactus Club suspending dine-in service, The Keg to fully close

Photo: Contributed

Beginning Tuesday, all Cactus Club restaurants in Canada, including both Kelowna locations, will suspend all dine-in service, while Keg Restaurants announced it will close all 107 North American locations. 

Cactus Club president and founder Richard Jaffray made the announcement Monday night.

"Based on the rapidly-changing COVID-19 situation, we have made the decision to temporarily suspend all dine-in operations at all Cactus Club Cafe locations across Canada starting March 17, 2020 through March 31, 2020," Jaffray said in a statement.

"At that time we will reassess this plan and communicate our approach. We will continue to accept takeaway orders online and are ramping up our take-out/takeaway and delivery platforms."

Jaffray says the company is doing everything they can to balance what is right for their employees, customers and the communities they serve.

"We thank you for your patience as we navigate these rapid changes and unchartered waters. We will continue to communicate details on our website and social media platforms as news further develops."

The Keg Restaurants also announced Monday it will be closing all 107 North American locations starting at the end of the day Tuesday, for at least two weeks.

As we have seen over recent weeks, the global spread of COVID-19 is impacting us all. Like most, we have been carefully monitoring the progression and have been strictly following the advice of both Canada and US public health authorities. At The Keg, our Guests have always been at the core of what we do and why we do it,” says David Aisenstat, CEO, of Keg Restaurants Limited.

The chain employs about 10,000 people. Aisenstat says they will provide employees with “resources” to minimize the financial impact of the closure.