Floata Seafood Restaurant management has blasted the City of Vancouver for terminating the popular Chinese eatery’s lease as the business was recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The iconic restaurant had operated a 1,000-seat location at the city-owned Chinatown Plaza for 30 years being being shut down recently. The city has contended that it extended Floata’s lease beyond its September 30 expiry date and tried to work with the restaurant’s management to keep the business operating, but the efforts were not successful.

“Despite multiple efforts to engage and clarify the tenants’ willingness to meet obligations under a new lease, the tenant did not provide a clear plan for future operations and ultimately vacated the premises,” the city said in a statement distributed to some media outlets, including Vancouver is Awesome and CBC. 

“The restaurant also accrued significant rent arrears, including unpaid COVID-era rental support.”

But Floata management has presented a different version of the situation prior to the closure.

Floata told Global News that it initiated lease-renewal discussions six months before the September 30 expiry date and submitted a formal proposal outlining its plans. But, manager Brian Yu told Global, management was unable to arrange a meeting with city officials until August 26, about a month before the lease was set to expire.

“We were told three times within one hour that Floata Restaurant had ‘0% chance’ of renewal,” Yu told his Global interviewer.

He also told Global that Floata strictly adhered to pandemic-rent payment termsregular rent payments and paid off the arears in September, providing monthly cheques for regular rents and arears. The only outstanding rent was for October, but the city refused to apply the remaining security-deposit balance of $19,427 against the amount due.

Alice Chan, another Floata manager and member of the business partnership, told Global that she was frustrated and angered by the city’s move.

“It’s very unfair,” Chan told Global, adding that she felt “very let down.”

Pictured: Floata Seafood Restaurant entrance.

Photo: Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association.