Former employee starts GoFundMe to help save fire-damaged Ovaltine Café

It has been a fixture on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside for more than 80 years, and now the Ovaltine Café needs your help.

The iconic diner — seen in films and T-V shows like “I, Robot,” “The X-Files,” and “Da Vinci’s Inquest” — was seriously damaged by a fire last Sunday.

“I just love the space so much. It’s just such a great place to be,” said Kristen Larson, a former employee who has set up a GoFundMe to help keep the restaurant afloat.

The rear of the building and parts of the kitchen were damaged, while the front doors are also boarded-up. Olsen expects it will be closed for the next six to eight weeks. Her crowdfunding effort has a goal of $20,000.

“Hopefully it can expedite some of the repairs, help them stay on their feet, and get themselves open again faster, Olsen said. “The cost of owning a restaurant and operating it when it’s open is a lot, but owning and operating it when it’s closed is even more because you’re not making any money. It can really break a restaurant in this day and age, especially in Vancouver where it’s so expensive to operate.”

She feels the Ovaltine occupies a special place in the community.

“The Downtown Eastside used to be full of restaurants that were family-owned and small and affordable and over the years that has dwindled. A lot of those places have closed and become condos or more expensive restaurants.”

“This is a traditionally working-class neighborhood. There’s a lot of people who, you know, they go to work every day, but they don’t want to go and spend $50 on a meal. And the Ovaltine is not just a good place because it’s affordable, it’s also an institution,” Olsen added.