Dual use restaurants in Vancouver

Good morning,

You know when you have an idea percolating in your brain and you struggle to make it a reality?

Today’s story has been sitting on our Lookout editorial list for over a year, waiting for the right person to tackle it. And luckily freelancer Sara Harowitz, who’s written many of our recent food columns, took the idea and rolled with it. 

With that, let’s dive into today’s newsletter.

— Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout

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WEATHER

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SMALL BUSINESS

Don’t call it a pop-up: Dual usage gives Vancouver bar and restaurant owners a leg up

By Sara Harowitz

By day, the space at 213 Carrall Street is a hopping brunch restaurant — one of Vancouver’s most popular, in fact. 

Located at Gastown’s busiest intersection, Twisted Fork serves up cozy, comforting dishes such as baked eggs with smoked gouda and bacon; asiago scones with house-made jam; and shakshuka with eggplant, cucumber salad, and corn salsa. 

By night, though, 213 Carrall Street transforms into something else entirely. Come 6 pm, a “classy but trashy” wine and snack bar takes over the space. Don’t call it a pop-up, though: Breeze Bar is its own permanent business. It just so happens to be located in the same space as Twisted Fork.

This idea of one place having dual usage is slowly becoming more popular in Vancouver, and for good reason: in a city with high rents for commercial spaces, everyone is looking to maximize their profitable hours. Instead of one concept stretching out its own service, though, some entrepreneurs have decided to team up in what can easily be described as a win-win situation.

“To put it succinctly, Mike didn’t have to come up with a concept, and I didn’t have to buy an oven,” jokes Breeze Bar co-founder Ryan Tanner, referring to Twisted Fork’s co-owner Mike Leslie. “It’s dual usage in a trying economic time.”

Tanner and his business partner Josh Ochotorena, both restaurant veterans, were interested in striking out on their own. When they heard that Leslie was looking for an evening tenant for Twisted Fork, the long-time industry friends decided it was the right fit. 

Breeze Bar is similar to Twisted Fork only in that it operates within the same space. Both businesses have their own branding, their own staff, and their own ingredients (albeit they will share certain products, such as beer). And where Twisted Fork serves up cinnamon buns and mimosas, Breeze Bar focuses on an ever-changing wine list and loaded hot dogs, including some with caviar.

Despite this differentiation, Tanner admits that some people wander up looking for Breeze Bar and are confused to see Twisted Fork signage instead. But that element of surprise was intentional.

“I specifically wanted to go through things in an organic-growth manner of identity, and was very specific to not have certain signage on there,” he says. “I wanted to get people into the space and have them feel comfortable once they’re there, and almost have this speakeasy idea.”

It certainly does feel like a little bit of a secret when you walk up to a place known for one specific thing and discover that it’s doing something else entirely.

“People that get it, and that are my regulars, greatly appreciate what the space is for them,” Tanner says, “and that it offers something that is different from other spots in the city.”

Twisted Fork and Breeze Bar aren’t the only businesses joining forces in this way. Prototype Coffee, the so-hip-it-hurts cafe on East Hastings, opened up a second location inside Mount Pleasant’s Please! Beverage Co., where it operates during the day, serving its house-roasted coffees and cult-favourite waffle donuts. 

Then there’s the one that, in many ways, started it all, The Birds & The Beets. The Gastown cafe has had a slew of different evening partners in its space, including a cider-focused concept and the celebrated natural-wine-loving Juice Bar. These days, Bar Tartare takes over the cafe at night, with a selection of funky natural wines and rotating chefs cooking get-them-before-they’re-gone food menus.

“Birds had a really beautiful space that looked beautiful at night,” recalls Birds co-owner Matt Senecal-Junkeer. “My plan was always to do something in the daytime, but I saw that the space had potential in the evening.”

He and Sean Cunningham, his partner in business and life, debated doing something themselves, but nothing came to fruition. “We didn’t really have a good game plan,” he admits. “But we met some people that were looking for a space, and an idea came to me that could be the best of both worlds: if we’re not using the space in the evening, why not bring someone in?”

Aside from the obvious economic benefit, Senecal-Junkeer points to another positive: time away from work.

“For an independent business that is owner-operated, it’s really tough to operate day and night from a personal-life balance perspective,” he says. “Sharing the space means that, at four o’clock, I don’t need to worry about my business. And then for Lindsay [Otto, of Bar Tartare], there’s nobody calling her during the day about a plumbing issue or something like that. We divide and conquer.”

It has been such a success that Senecal-Junkeer and Cunningham have repeated the idea at their second space, Chinatown’s Hunnybee Bruncheonette. Come evening, two different enterprises take over on different nights: Wednesday to Saturday it’s Thank You Pizza (wood-fired sourdough pies and natural wines), and Monday to Tuesday it’s Taqueria Chicatana (al pastor tacos). Having entirely separate entities allows each business to build its own unique customer base.

“From a branding perspective, it’s really tough to speak to customers in all-day segments,” acknowledges Senecal-Junkeer. “This way, the brands are able to speak to their own crowd and have their own voice.”

Dual-usage spaces aren’t just a win for the business owners either, they’re also a win for the customer.

“I live in the neighbourhood of both my restaurants, and it’s nice to have things that are open in those spaces,” says Senecal-Junkeer. “It’s kind of depressing when you walk by a closed restaurant. I can’t imagine going by Hunnybee on a beautiful, sunny Friday evening, and the doors just being shut.”

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THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

85 million

That’s how much in metric tons of cargo the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority says was moved at the Port of Vancouver during the first six months of 2025 -  a 13 per cent increase over the amount of cargo moved during the same time period last year. The biggest reason for the increase? Crude oil and canola oil exports. Read more. [City News]

THE AGENDA

🏗️ The former Salvation Army temple at 301 East Hastings — which was purchased by Vancouver Coastal Health in 2001 and remained vacant ever since — has been torn down for a proposed social housing development. Read more. [Vancouver Sun]

🎨 Students at John Oliver Secondary School are using art as a way to heal from the trauma of the Lapu-Lapu Day festival attack, which took place in front of their school. Read more. [CBC]

🧡 Tuesday is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. It’s a day to remember the children who never came home from residential schools and to honour Survivors, their families, and their communities. There are a number of events taking place around Vancouver, where people can learn, reflect, and acknowledge this tragic part of Canadian history. Read more. [CTV]

📙 Squamish Nation’s Tiná7 Cht Ti Temíxw: We Come From This Land won the 2025 City of Vancouver Book Award. Read more. [City of Vancouver]

🎺 Vancouver Symphony Orchestra musicians are on strike. The dispute centres around pay for orchestra members. Read more. [Vancouver is Awesome]

🫶 Indigenous outreach groups are working together on the DTES to save lives, heal trauma, build community, and ultimately, help people go home. Read more. [The Abbotsford News]

🚧 Construction began over the weekend on sewer and street upgrades in Marpole. In the initial phases of the project, expect overnight delays on Granville between West 59th Ave. and West 64th Ave. Read more. [City of Vancouver]

☕ The Starbucks at 2840 Bentall St. and 2035 Yukon St. have closed. Read more. [Global BC]

EVENT GUIDE

Oktoberfest Biergarten at Parallel 49 | Parallel 49 – 1950 Triumph St. | Now to Oct. 5, 11 am–11 pm (Sun–Thu), 11 am–12 am (Fri–Sat) | German food, live music, and award-winning beer in a festive outdoor beer garden | Free

Walk for Truth & Reconciliation | Semiahmoo Park, 15393 Marine Dr., White Rock | Sept. 30, 11 am–2 pm | Semiahmoo First Nation hosts a walk, market, exhibits, and free lunch to honour reconciliation | Free

Splash – Free Preview Exhibition | Pendulum Gallery – 885 W. Georgia St. | Now to Oct. 2, 9 am–6 pm (Mon–Wed), 9 am–9 pm (Thu–Fri), 9 am–5 pm (Sat) | Over 90 artworks by emerging artists; free walk-in exhibit of contemporary visual art | Free

Vancouver International Film Festival | Various locations | Oct. 2–12, various times | 170 features and 100 shorts with talks, performances, and special events across 11 days | Tickets $21+

Harvest Haus | PNE Forum, 2901 E. Hastings St. | Oct. 3–4 | Oktoberfest-style party with beer, food, music and pretzels, 19+ event | Tickets $40+

MEC Gear Swap | MEC stores across Canada | Oct. 4, 9 am–2 pm | Trade, shop, and refresh outdoor gear at MEC’s national gear swap | Free

Culinary Garage Sale | Pedersen’s Rentals, 570 E Kent Ave S | Oct. 4, 10 am–3 pm | Massive sale of kitchen items, gear, and culinary tools supporting local chefs | Free

5th Annual Witchilano Paddle | Kitsilano Beach, 1499 Arbutus St. | Oct. 4, 11 am | Spooky SUP paddle with costumes, group ride to Granville Island and back | Free

Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival | Slocan Park & Renfrew Community Park, 2750 E 29th Ave & 2929 E 22nd Ave | Oct. 4, 7–11 pm ET | Lanterns, art installations, parades, music and food at a beloved harvest festival | Free

Toronto Raptors v Denver Nuggets | Rogers Arena, 800 Griffiths Way | Oct. 6, 7 pm | NBA pre-season game featuring Raptors vs Nuggets at Rogers Arena | Tickets

Vancouver Sake Fest '25 | Coast Coal Harbour Hotel, 1180 W Hastings St. | Oct. 9, 6–9 pm | Sample 100+ sakes, meet makers, enjoy chef-prepared bites, 19+ only | Tickets $102.75+

Women in Tech Vancouver – OutGeekWomen | Global Relay Communications, 220 Cambie St., 2nd Floor | Oct. 23, 6–8 pm | Mid/senior-level women in tech networking with hiring teams and CTOs | Tickets $50

Vision Zero Vancouver Presents: Life After Cars | SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 W Hastings St. | Nov. 8, 6:30 pm | A discussion with The War on Cars podcasts hosts Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear about their new book! | Tickets $35

2025 Eastside Culture Crawl | Eastside Arts District | Nov. 20–21, 5–10 pm; Nov. 22–23, 11 am–6 pm | Four-day open studios with 500+ artists, galleries, and crafts | Free

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COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Update your wardrobe for fall at these thrift and consignment stores. [Curiocity]

• Or keep up those summer vibes on a cruise through the Panama Canal. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• Spooky: October 4 is Witchilano Paddle at Kits Beach. [Curiocity]

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• Redditors love Carnitas Don Jose in the International Village Mall. We can attest they are that good. [Reddit]

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

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