Vancouver’s Wallflower restaurant gets helping hand with patio from neighbour

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A Vancouver restaurant that was denied a curb-side patio from the City is getting a helping hand from its next-door neighbour.

The Wallflower couldn’t set up a patio because of construction along Main Street, but Pulp Fiction books right next door has the space. Book store owner Chris Brayshaw brought up the idea and the City of Vancouver signed off on the idea.

“It’s totally selfless. It doesn’t really help his business at all. Maybe a little bit, but for him to even think about that, that’s something I hadn’t even thought of,” Wallflower owner Heather Szilagyi said. “He’s a regular here and we always recommend for people to go over there to buy there books. We’ve always had a good relationship.”

Brayshaw says he was happy to help out.

“I was thinking, ‘well, you know we have an awning, we have a little bit of space that’s out of the rain that’s not City property, that’s actual private property. Normally my recycling buckets sit on it, not much else,'” he said. ” I think everyone who does not run a food service business has no idea how hard it is right now for folks who are running food service businesses.”

With the province’s current pandemic ban on indoor dining, restaurants are scrambling to build patios on sidewalks and even on the road. With the extra space, the Wallflower is now able to offer six outdoor tables outside, instead of two.

Brayshaw says anyone who owns a non-food business and can help out should consider helping out in any way they can.

On Wednesday London Drugs announced Western Canadian restaurants can apply to sell packaged goods such as sauces, jams, and clothing on its store shelves.

With files from Jonathan Szekeres