'Everyone is broke': Beloved East Vancouver diner closing its doors

Beloved diner closing this month The Wallflower in East Vancouver survived the pandemic but not the economic fallout. It will be closing permanently on July 12.

An East Vancouver restaurant that describes itself as a place where "omnivores, carnivores, vegans, vegetarians and celiacs can all dine together" will be closing its doors this month, citing the ongoing financial fallout from the pandemic.

The Wallflower Diner on Main Street has been serving up brunch, lunch and dinner in Mount Pleasant since 2009. It's also been the site of comedy and art shows, trivia and theme nights.

Co-owner Heather Szilagyi announced the impending closure on social media Saturday.

"Eric (Nielsen) and I are extremely proud of keeping The Wallflower going through the pandemic. We worked without days off for a very long time. We really hoped someone would be able to pick up the pieces and keep the legacy going, but everyone is broke," she wrote.

In May, the restaurant was put up for sale. The listing, which at the time showed a price of $269,000, was also shared on social media.

"Alright, someone out there has to have a long lost rich uncle," the owners wrote at the time.

The listing for the eatery is still active, showing a reduced price of $225,000.

Scrolling through the Wallflower Diner's social media feed, it's easy to get a sense of some of the pressures that led up to the closure. While many other restaurants were able to mitigate COVID-19-related capacity limits by expanding outdoors, the restaurant was initially not allowed to set up a patio.

Eventually, it was permitted a single table out front, something the owners dubbed a "sadio" in a series of tongue-in-cheek posts calling it the "world's saddest patio." They were able to add a couple more tables thanks to the support of neighbouring bookstore Pulp Fiction offering up its sidewalk space.

Another blow to the restaurant appears to have been the building of the Broadway Subway. Located less than a block north of where a station will eventually stand, the diner posted about the "seemingly endless construction" and the impact on businesses in the area.

Another post, from December of last year, alludes to the end of government subsidies and the potential that the business would have to be sold or shuttered shutter despite the owners' efforts.

"We both worked non-stop during lockdown, with no days off. Anyone who knows me at all, knows that there probably isn't another human on the planet who would have worked harder to keep a restaurant alive as I have with my 'Cheers,' Szilagyi wrote.

The Wallflower's last day will be July 12, which Szilagyi said is also her birthday.

"All past and present staff and regulars are welcome to come say goodbye. It's the end of an era! Thank you so much to all who have supported us," the social media posts concludes.