More than six months after a suspicious fire damaged the Ovaltine Cafe, the iconic Downtown Eastside establishment has reopened its doors to customers.
Members of the public donated more than $19,000 to a fundraiser to help the beloved vintage diner get back on its feet. Co-owner Grace Chen said she also contributed her own money, and borrowed cash from family.
“We feel really exciting. We stand up again,” she said Friday. “A lot of people helped us in the community — they come here, helped us to do painting inside and outside.”
The May 28 fire, set in the alley behind the diner, razed the building’s rear, scorched its front doors and smoked the kitchen, requiring a number of costly repairs. At the time, it employed six or seven people.
The Ovaltine Cafe opened in 1942, and on its website, describes itself as a “piece of unchanged Vancouver,” committed to “providing locals with low-cost meals.”
Movies such as I, Robot and TV shows including Lucifer, Charmed and the X-Files have all filmed scenes there.
In September 2018, it was named among the 50 greatest cafes on Earth in an article from the The Telegraph‘s travel section.
“From the Edwardian building to the projecting pink neon signage to the unreconstructed décor — not to mention that anti-cool name — you’ve got to love this 1942 diner-cum-coffee shop,” the U.K.-based publication wrote.
Chen said the fire was a “shock,” but no one was hurt. Closing down the cafe was never considered as an option, she added.
“We almost every day outside, we make soup serving the homeless people and they always ask me, ‘Are you okay? You need help?'” she said. “I feel really good. We always say, we’re a family.”
Chris Neale-Clark, a customer for more than eight years, said he was thrilled to be there on the first day of the cafe’s reopening. He said the Ovaltine places an invaluable role in a neighbourhood with many people on very low incomes.
“The food’s hot, the price is great, and Grace and the staff are always smiling,” he said. “This is part of the core.”
“I love this lady. She’s done wonders for the Downtown Eastside here. She’s helped a lot of people out,” added Florence Akey. “It’s very special.”
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