On Wednesday, a significant transaction in the BC restaurant sector was revealed. Richard Jaffray, the original owner of Cactus Club, has sold the entire business to the Fuller family, who also operate Earls Kitchen + Bar.
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. Jaffray and Morison are both former Earls workers. 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.
The Fuller family owns what?
Leroy Fuller, the father of a family that owns some of Vancouver’s most prosperous restaurant businesses, launched Earls in the 1980s and passed away at the age of 90.
Fuller passed away quietly over the weekend at home in the company of family members, according to a statement released by his family on Monday.
According to the statement, “those fortunate enough to work with and know Bus have lost an amazing mentor, a charismatic leader, and a great friend.”
“Bus leaves behind a legacy that was made possible by his commitment, perseverance, and capacity to surround himself with outstanding individuals. He will always be cherished and missed for the way he impacted so many people’s hearts.”
Fuller, who was known as Bus as a boy, served in the Korean War before running A&W locations in Edmonton from the 1950s through the 1970s.
The popular brand, which gave customers an excellent dining experience at a reasonable cost, helped the Fuller family’s restaurant business take off.
Jeff, Fuller’s son, founded Joey in 1992 and currently serves as its CEO. The Fullers also assisted two former Earls servers in starting the first Cactus Club Cafe, which they now hold a majority of.
Rob Feenie is still a member of Cactus Club.
He worked as the executive chef for the Cactus Club for 15 years before actively pursuing plans to reopen his own eatery, initially dubbed Feenie’s 2.0.
“For the past three and a half to four years, I haven’t been as involved in the kitchen as I’d want to be, admits Feenie. ” My role as a taster and advisor increased.
This past Sunday was his final day working for Cactus Club, but he’s quick to note that he, owner Stan Fuller, and the rest of the CC staff have left ways amicably. “He claims, “I adore Cactus, I love the people, and I sobbed uncontrollably on my last day.” “They are in favor of this. Stan is someone I can turn to at any moment for advice.
Longtime residents of Vancouver may recall Lumire and Feenie’s, a pair of restaurants that Feenie and her business partner Ken Wai launched in 1995. Both of these eateries still have a strong reputation in this city. Our prized Restaurant of the Year title was won by one of two restaurants between 1997 and 2008, Lumire (seven times) or West, as our former food editor Neal McLennan wrote back in 2019. (five times).
Lumire Dining Room
Many of the city’s greatest chefs, including Marc-Andre Choquette (Tableau), JC Poirier (St. Lawrence), Wendy Boys (Cactus Club, Cocolico), Frank Pabst (Blue Water), Eleanor Chow (Chambar), Ned Bell (Naramata Inn), and others, received their training at Lumire. Many front-of-house celebrities also called it home, including Lauren Mote from “Bittered Sling,” Sebastien le Goff from “Cactus Club,” Paul Grunberg from “Savio Volpe,” and Andre McGillivray (The Wolf and the Fog).
After a public argument with the restaurant’s owners (David Sidoo, who experienced his own spell of notoriety due to the college admissions controversy), Feenie resigned in 2007, but his imprint—along with Lumire’s—had a long-lasting impact on the eating scene.
Feenie is currently collaborating with a close buddy who’s a “one of the top restaurant hunters in the city, hoping to locate a restaurant on the west side, his former neighborhood, or even downtown. Bob Mathiesen, an accountant and the owner of three Keg franchises, and Jim Stewart, a former vice president of Cactus and current strategic advisor for the brand, have been assisting him in getting to opening day as he works for a debut date in the spring or summer of 2023.
Working with Richard Jaffray and Cactus was like attending university to learn how to run a company and how to manage thousands of people, says Feenie. “Fifteen years ago people wondered what I was doing, going to Cactus. But I look back at it now and it was one of the best decisions of my career.
Longtime followers of Feenie’s cuisine may expect to see fan favorites on the menu, perhaps with dishes influenced by his second Iron Chef Canada victory in 2018. “He claims that it will be a little more upscale and similar to what he did at the Lumiere bar. “It was so much fun that I want to expand on what I did there.
“I jotted down 90 potential menu items on a sheet of paper as we were discussing the company and potential sites. I have plenty of ideas, and when you return, you’ll probably recognize some of them. I definitely want people to remember me when they return. They should also view the 2.0 version, though.
Requests for Feenie’s favorites have started flooding in as word has spread. “Even my former partner Ken [Wai] inquired, “Are you bringing the beef dip back?” due to my mother’s inquiry.
“It’s hard to think that it has been nearly 25 years, adds Feenie. ” I started Lumire at the age of 29, and I’m so eager to do it again. There is no denying that I am anxious; otherwise, I would be a fool. That is merely a step in the procedure. I’m also quite excited, though.
“When I consider somebody like Michel Jacob [Le Crocodile], one of my mentors, I see that he is still at the stovetop nearly 40 years later. What I appreciate about that I only want to focus on making others happy and enjoying food.
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.
Owner of King Taps?
The Fuller family, who operate Earls Kitchen + Bar, bought Cactus Club Ltd., which had originally developed King Taps, in the beginning of February. Cactus Club vice-president Christy Murphy told KelownaNow two years prior that the franchise had taken over Rose’s former location.
Brown’s Socialhouse is owned by who?
The sushi bar at the Queen Elizabeth Plaza site will have the greatest patio in the city.
Vancouver, Canada, October 16, 2019 – Yesterday, Tuesday, October 15, Browns Socialhouse in the Queen Elizabeth Plaza formally welcomed guests. As the 68th Browns Socialhouse site, this newest franchised facility will serve as the brand’s flagship store.
Derek Archer is the owner and operator of the Browns Socialhouse QE Theatre brand. Five more Browns Socialhouse franchises are owned by Archer and a number of other partners, with three of them located in North Vancouver, one in Kelowna, and one in Red Deer. In the Upper Lonsdale neighborhood of North Vancouver, British Columbia, he launched the first Browns Socialhouse in 2004.
This facility is a significant accomplishment for the company, according to Browns Restaurant Group founder and CEO Scott Morison. “[Our] employees have spent many hours developing and creating a place suitable for the city’s vibrant athletic and entertainment district,” he says. The Queen Elizabeth Theatre is a landmark in Vancouver, and we’re quite proud to be a part of that environment, he continues.
The restaurant has a sizable covered patio that is year-round open and features an opening wall technology to give patrons a unified and roomy interior. With its brilliant coral and yellow colors and even some palm plants, the environment will give visitors the impression that they are in a 1950s Palm Springs lounge.
The celebrity headshot wall in the flagship, which features over 100 images of previous Queen Elizabeth Theatre performers, is another noteworthy design element. These images of actors and actresses, singers, comedians, and dancers are all from 1959.
The brand’s original menu, which include dishes like the #28 Dragon Bowl and the Oreo Jar that are beloved by customers, will be followed by the food program. The restaurant will feature its own sushi bar and counter where customers can sit and watch the chefs make items from the changing sushi menu, enhancing the eating experience. This location’s sleek new design is complemented with a superior back bar program that includes premium liquors and a longer choice of regional and reserve wines.
With an 80-inch double-sided TV and a sizable projector screen, the restaurant, which is located in Downtown Vancouver’s Stadium neighborhood, will offer a welcoming atmosphere for game days.
The excitement surrounding the opening is continuing beyond that point. The Ventura Room, a cocktail and music club that will debut at the end of October, is a brand-new area at the building’s lower level.
The public can now visit the Browns Socialhouse QE Theatre, which is at 649 Cambie Street in Vancouver, British Columbia.