Downtown Eastside diner Save-on-Meats to close temporarily

Iconic Downtown Eastside diner Save-on-Meats is closing temporarily on September 2 due to renovations on the building’s upper floors.

Gastown restaurateur Mark Brand re-opened the diner in 2011 after it sat empty for over two years.

The building was recently purchased by Anthem Properties. The company plans to renovate the upper floors into office space and consolidate Save-on-Meats’ operations on the ground floor.

Brand says that because of seismic work and fire upgrades, the restaurant must close. He says it will re-open by Christmas.

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Brand broke the news on Instagram on Monday afternoon, catching many people by surprise.

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The restaurant is well-known for its low-cost meals and token program, which allows people to buy food tokens that they can give to those in need. Tokens can be redeemed for meals at the diner.

Brand says the restaurant’s sandwich window will stay open, allowing the token program to continue.

“The sandwich window will stay open and it will be uninterrupted,” says Brand. “We are not going anywhere.”

Brand says he will reveal more details about Save-on-Meats future to the media on Wednesday.