Save On Meats to reopen Friday
Posted February 12, 2014 8:12 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – An iconic business that operates food programs for homeless and low-income people on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is set to reopen Friday morning after five months of renovations.
Workers are putting the finishing touches on Save On Meats and hope to be open for breakfast at 7:00 a.m. sharp.
Improvements include an expanded kitchen, while the original butcher shop has been cut down by two-thirds to allow for more seating.
Owner Mark Brand has a lot to smile about. Not only is his restaurant looking new and improved, he’s just signed a deal with the building’s owner to ensure it stays open for decades to come.
“For us to be here for the next 20 years, it’s showing people that business can be done in a capital way as well and still have a triple bottom line,” he explains. “[That means] meeting your social mandates while still being able to appease shareholders if you have them, if you’re a larger corporation, and keeping a positive balance.”
That also means the famous food and sandwich programs will continue.
“We’ve done over 18,000 redemptions, not sales, since we opened. That’s 18,000 meals people didn’t have before that,” he says.
There also plans to start an incubator or community kitchen starting late next month, through a partnership with Vancouver Community College and the City of Vancouver.
Brand has a number of business interests, but it’s fair to say Save On Meats is his Valentine to the neighbourhood.
“Everybody has invested time, energy, tutelage, mentorship, and because of everyone, including every single one of our patrons, and you guys in the media, we’re still here,” he explains. “Without that, we would have been closed four months in.”
