The Hub still sits empty in Stratford as former owner faces fraud charges

Monday was a routine court date for Kevin Larson, a former Stratford restaurant owner facing a total of 17 fraud-related charges.

The charges span from 2015 to 2023 and now involve seven victims. They include nine counts of using of a forged document or a document with a forged signature, while the other charges are for filing tax returns in a victim’s name as the director of a business.

One of the charges alleges Larson defrauded an investor of $138,000 by using the money without their knowledge or permission.

Larson was the owner of the ‘The Hub,’ a chain of restaurants in Stratford, Mitchell, Lucan, Seaforth and Bayfield. All are now closed.

The Stratford establishment, located prominently in Market Square, is now in a court ordered receivership.

Many in the local business community are hopeful the location gets a new life soon.

“Any time we have any type of vacancy its always detrimental to the overall ambiance of our downtown. But when you have a large space like that, it does hurt,” said Jamie Pritchard with the Downtown Stratford BIA.

With a large capacity, central location and a rooftop patio, the former Hub building is unique in Stratford.

“Market Square is the epicenter of downtown and it’s a lot better when everything is full … people are attracted to that area and it’s better when it’s fully occupied,” Pritchard explained.

She said the best thing for downtown businesses would be to have it operational again.

“It's been a food and beverage place for quite some time. It would be nice to have something back in there similar to give visitors a place to eat and drink.”

Larson will be back in court on June 1.