Richard Jaffray, the original owner of Cactus Club, has sold the entire business to the Fuller family, who also operate Earls Kitchen + Bar.
The number of Cactus Club locations is how many.
Our “West Coast culinary empire has expanded from one location in North Vancouver to approximately 30 locations across Canada,” says Cactus Club Cafe, which has a rich past and a promising future.
As we move toward the east, things are off to an exciting start.
We were selected as one of Toronto’s finest new restaurants to open in 2015 and as the greatest establishment in the city’s Financial District. In addition to our recently established flagship locations across Toronto, Calgary, and Kelowna, we are intending to open at least 20 other restaurants in Ontario. We are thrilled to be one of Canada’s most popular and rapidly expanding restaurant concepts, and we are always looking for outstanding individuals to add to our team. The restaurant business is competitive, but we’re excited to expand into new markets with our innovative idea and cultivate leaders who regularly achieve outstanding results at every level of our organization.
How many cactus clubs exist worldwide?
The idea was to provide a fun, premium dining experience where you would be greeted with excellent food and courteous service in a laid-back, unpretentious setting. Cactus has expanded over the past 25 years into 25 restaurants spread across Alberta and British Columbia, employing over 2,000 people.
What has Cactus club been famous for?
Cactus Club Cafe, a West Coast native that has spread across Canada, serves the best in international cuisine made with regionally sourced, seasonal ingredients in a hip, modern atmosphere. We provide attentive, cordial, and unpretentious service.
In Vancouver, how many cactus clubs are there?
The renowned Cactus Club Cafe is one of several Canadian-owned casual chain dining establishments that started on Vancouver’s North Shore. The business’s restaurants are renowned for their lively ambiances, and the corporation has its headquarters in downtown Vancouver. A lot of the Cactus Club restaurants have significantly more upmarket décor and are situated in prime areas.
The Cactus Club restaurants welcome children as well. They’re not “family restaurants don’t have separate children’s menus. But many young families enjoy them, and most places provide high chairs and booster seats in addition to crayons and coloring books. Typically, young to middle-aged adults make up their clientele. However, except perhaps in the bar areas, children are welcome.
22 restaurants are run by Cactus Club in the Lower Mainland. There is a Cactus Club restaurant in each of the following cities: Abbotsford, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, North Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, and West Vancouver. Meanwhile, there are three places in Burnaby.
There are seven Cactus Club sites in the city of Vancouver, including two beside the water. For instance, the one in English Bay is situated directly on the sand. In contrast, the Cactus Club in Jack Poole Plaza offers similarly breathtaking views of Coal Harbour. Try your hardest to get a window seat if you want to impress your friends, family, or potential date. These restaurants offer unique dining experiences (particularly around sunset) thanks to their prime tables.
Robson Street, Davie Street in Yaletown, the Bentall Building on Burrard Street, and West Broadway by both Cambie Street at one end and Ash Street at the other are other places within the City of Vancouver.
Depending on which location of the chain you visit, the menu varies a little. However, traditional menu items like burgers, pasta, and steak largely remain the same across the organization.
Szechuan lettuce wraps, tiny burgers, calamari (fried squid), potato skins, edamame, and chicken wings are examples of typical appetizers. Some places, although not all, offer sushi.
Along with more conventional beef burgers and chicken sandwiches, the majority of the restaurants also serve a variety of rice bowls with Asian influences. They often generally provide a few steaks, as well as at least a few fish and pasta entrees.
Dishes might vary, and some menu items are exclusively offered in particular eateries. For instance, when we last checked, some restaurants had a 12 ounce Millionaire’s Cut steak, but just the 11 ounce was offered in others. Why? We are unsure. Perhaps residents of some communities in the Lower Mainland aren’t as hungry as people in other areas!
While some restaurants provide brunch menus, others do not. Most, but not all, take part in the Dine Out Vancouver Festival in January or February. Those who do participate typically offer the same menu options, but occasionally they don’t.
The food is always of a high standard, despite the fact that each menu is both extremely similar and slightly different, and prices on some dishes might vary by as much as 25 cents.
Additionally, Cactus Club has dedicated menu sections for vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. All menu items include symbols to denote dietary restrictions, however this brand’s menus stand out by having separate sections.
Scott Morrison and Richard Jaffray, two former employees of Earls Restaurant, founded Cactus Club Cafe in the late 1980s. The first location was in North Vancouver, which is why it doesn’t appear as modern as most of the others nowadays.
Scott Morrison left Cactus Club in 2004 and joined Browns Restaurants, a comparable locally-based chain dining establishment, where he currently serves as chairman and CEO. It should come as no surprise that Browns, Earls, and Cactus Club are all direct rivals. It’s also noteworthy to note that the family who owns Earls also holds a sizeable stake in Cactus Club.
Cactus Club has grown to include more than 30 sites nationwide since it was first established. These include more than 20 in British Columbia and the remaining in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.
Other high-end casual dining franchises including the Keg, Earls, and Browns are comparable to Cactus Club. Given that it was founded by two former Earls workers, it is unavoidably comparable to Earls. It also blatantly resembles Browns (which was started by one of the two founders of the Cactus Club).
How precisely Cactus Club differentiates from its rivals is difficult to pinpoint. It’s possibly a little less expensive than The Keg and has a better reputation for being family-friendly than Earls. Compared to The Keg, Cactus Club has a slightly larger menu with a wider selection of food items. It’s also more “More seafood and Asian-inspired food is available on the West Coast.
Can Cactus Club gift cards be used online?
As much as we adore the cozy hues and brisk air of autumn, we all understand the “The best time of the year is quickly approaching. Additionally, the “It can be a bit stressful most fantastic. Therefore, in the midst of the hectic holiday season, we cordially encourage you to visit Cactus and take a break to enjoy some fun times with the ones you cherish most.
Giving a Cactus gift card enables your friends and family to pamper themselves to our seasonal cocktails and specialties while checking their stress at the door.
With in-store and online alternatives, we’re making purchasing easier than ever this year. The best part is that giving results in receiving gifts. Get a $15 bonus card for yourself* when you purchase a $75 Cactus gift card.
E-GIFT CARDS
Give online instead of physically by sending an e-gift card to their mailbox. Both dine-in and online pick-up orders are accepted when using our E-gift cards (and bonus E-gift cards*).
CLASSIC GIFT CARDS
Our traditional gift cards come in a chic holiday sleeve, which makes them ideal for inserting into envelopes. Gift cards are available for purchase both online and in-store and can be used for both dine-in and online pick-up orders. Only dine-in transactions are permitted with physical bonus cards*.
LARGE ORDERS
We’ll add your corporate logo for no extra cost to every purchase of $1,000 or more. Additionally, on any orders above $500, you’ll receive additional gift cards worth up to 20% back.
Who is Joey Tomatoes’ owner?
Over 16 years have passed since this article was published. Some information might not be up to date anymore.
No, you aren’t seeing things twice. Joeys, a casual fine-dining business with its first location just recently launched in Vancouver, does certainly resemble Earls both visually and flavor-wise. Both businesses have executive chefs with impressive backgrounds (Chris Mills at Joeys, who apprenticed with Michael Noble of Earls), four-letter men’s names without possessive apostrophes, an abundance of stacked rock in their decors, vaguely trendy but secure menus that skew oddly toward Asian and Mediterranean cuisine.
It makes sense why they are similar. The same family is responsible for both of the businesses from British Columbia, both of which started out with eateries in Alberta. Joeys is run by Jeff Fuller, and Earls is run by his brother Stan (and also owns a substantial share in the Cactus Club chain). The casual steakhouse chain Saltlik, which recently debuted in Vancouver, is owned by Stewart, brother number three. Leroy Earl, their father, was one of the first A&W franchise owners, and he is the patriarch who established the family business (which, coincidentally, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year).
Joeys has undergone many changes during the years. The original eatery was a family-style pizza and pasta place called Joey Tomato’s, which debuted in Calgary in 1992. The name was changed to Joey Tomato’s Mediterranean Grill eight years later as the franchise evolved and became a little bit more sophisticated. Then Mills was hired the next year, expanding the menu to include more Asian flavors. The name is gradually being reduced to just Joeys as part of its new appearance.
There are currently 13 locations for the business in Washington State, Manitoba, Alberta, and B.C. Additionally, it owns the American franchise Cucina, Cucina. However, this new eatery marks the business’s first venture into Vancouver, and it is located on West Broadway between Granville and Oak.
Each restaurant and business within the family is allegedly unique. However, the new Broadway location shares the same general genes as its relatives, as evidenced by its stacked-rock facade and swaying palm trees outside the entryway. The interior is gloomy and unpleasant, much like Saltlik and the brand-new Paramount Earls. The rear wall’s rough-hewn wood is stained brown, as are the carpets, leather seats, table tops, and tablecloths (with only a scattering of mirrored tiles to lighten things up).
Like practically every other “casual fine-dining” chain on the West Coast, including Earls, the Cactus Club, Milestone’s, Moxie’s, and Joeys, the majority of the employees at Joeys are gorgeous young women with polished grins. Particularly Earls is renowned for the thorough training it offers brand-new hires. Some claim that these eateries produce a priceless talent pool that eventually filters up to more upscale dining establishments, but in my opinion, corporate training is most effective at depersonalizing its personnel. Although our server was pleasant enough, it seemed as though she was giving us pre-written words that were taken from from a manual.
The Mediterranean Tapas Picnic ($19.99) was where we started. Warm pita wedges, garlicky tzatziki and hummus, tempura-battered calamari that wasn’t quite “crisp,” and a mystery, pucker-inducing orange cream sauce were all piled high on the enormous plate. The claimed complimentary bruschetta was definitely unnecessary, so perhaps it was best that it never showed up.
Another enormous dish was the jumbo ravioli loaded with lobster, crab, and ricotta ($16.49), which was served with a lot of lovely grape tomatoes. The dill seemed to be absent, but the lemon cream sauce was lovely and sharp. It had no taste at all.
The Rotisserie Chicken and Rib Combo ($21.99) was my favorite dish. I didn’t like the half a back of ribs (very soft, so obviously boiled, and slathered with a wet and sugary BBQ sauce). However, the slow-roasted chicken was cooked quite well. It was served with buttery mashed potatoes and crisp asparagus and was juicy and moist with a crispy skin and loads of herbs.
In reference to the well-known Quebec rotisserie business, my impressed friend remarked, “It’s almost as excellent as St-Hubert.”
I concurred, giving it higher grades than the preferred roasted-chicken chain in Ontario, saying, “It’s a lot better than Swiss Chalet.”
Joeys should undoubtedly be superior to those locations, which are more like White Spot in terms of ambiance and price. Joeys, Earls, and others of a similar caliber advertise as “premium casual eateries” (sometimes referred to in the trade as casual fine dining). Once upon a time, these might have been inexpensive places to grab a bite, but they aren’t now. They try to fill the middle ground, which is becoming more and more congested, particularly in Vancouver where famous chefs like Rob Feenie and Vikram Vij are now blending casual bistros with their upscale brands.
Chains that offer casual fine dining have a place. They offer predictable, largely consistent food in welcoming settings that exude a pseudo-sophisticated image without being overly scary. They resemble the Starbucks of supper, in a way. In smaller rural towns, they are frequently the best option available or at the very least a sure bet.
It’s clear that Joeys is doing well. The company’s news announcement states that Canadian revenues increased from $23 million in 1999 to $55 million last year. Additionally, Joeys has the greatest average sales per restaurant in Western Canada, according to the Pacific Prairie Restaurant News Magazine.
However, I could purchase a much better lunch at Bin, Lolita’s, Cru, Aurora Bistro, Hapa Izakaya, Cassis, and many other independent casual fine-dining establishments for the same cost as a meal at Joeys, where the servers have sass and the rooms have sizzle. Call me radical, but I’d much rather put my heart and soul into helping the underdog independents than lining the wallets of an already powerful family with subpar food and corporate obedience.
Joey owns Cactus Club, right?
Beyond sharing similar themes and menu items, Cactus Club, Earls, and Joey Restaurants all have one thing in common: they are currently all owned by the Fuller family.
Following a protracted court struggle, the Fuller family declared it had fully bought the Cactus Club from its president and founder Richard Jaffray.
Leonard Earl “The eateries Earls and Joey were founded by Bus Fuller. He also made an early investment in Cactus Club, which Scott Morison and Jaffray launched in 1988. Morison and Jaffray both used to work for Earls. Because Jaffray sold his ownership part to the Fullers after Morison left the company in 2004, he will vacate his position as president in March.
“We are incredibly proud of what Richard has created. Under his direction, Richard and the Cactus team created and expanded an exceptional restaurant brand and concept, building strong and enduring relationships with customers in the process. We are happy to be assuming 100% ownership of the business because our family has been a partner in Cactus Club from the very beginning, the Fullers said in a news statement.
Since Jaffray claimed he wasn’t properly notified of a transfer of Cactus Club shares in 2018, he and the Fullers have been engaged in a legal dispute. The Fullers disputed the existence of the transfer.
Jaffray also had issues with the way Joey Restaurants was run. Joey competed directly with Cactus Club, and Jaffray wanted to discontinue giving the Fullers audited financial documents because they felt it provided Joey an unfair advantage. The case was ultimately dismissed.
Then the family retaliated, claiming that Jaffray had embezzled corporate funds by charging excursions on private jets and purchases of art for his residence.
It appears the parties are putting the bad blood behind them after Wednesday’s statement.
“The group who turned Cactus Club into Canada’s top casual fine dining brand has my utmost respect. There is no finer team anywhere, and I have no doubt that they will maintain the Cactus Club brand’s success in the years to come, according to Jaffray.
The Fullers expressed appreciation for their partnership with Jaffray and their best wishes for him “only the very best for the future.