The past year has been a tumultuous one for Cactus Club in Burnaby.
The company, which runs three restaurants in Burnaby (in Brentwood, Station Square and Market Crossing), has been dealing with COVID-19 restrictions on diners.
Last summer came the biggest news, as Cactus Club confirmed that it would no longer be moving into a giant two-storey space at the Amazing Brentwood. That space will be taken over by Tap & Barrel.
Now, Cactus Club has been fully taken over by the owners of Earls and Joey as the company’s founder and president sold his stake in the business to the Fuller family.
Richard Jaffray, who spent more than three decades building Cactus Club into a notable Canadian restaurant chain, will step down as president and let the Fullers take full control. The Fullers have been silent partners in Cactus Club since its beginning in 1988.
“We have enormous respect for what Richard has built,” Stan Fuller said in a press release. “Under his leadership, Richard and the Cactus team have established and grown an outstanding restaurant brand and concept, developing deep and lasting customer relationships in the process.
“Our family has been a partner in Cactus Club since the very beginning, and we are thrilled to be assuming 100% ownership of the brand.”
The Fullers stated they will be making no changes to Cactus Club. Jaffray opened the first Cactus Club in North Vancouver in 1988, and today there are 32 locations across Canada, employing 5,000 people.
Earls is an even bigger chain with 67 restaurants and more than 7,000 employees.
Earls has a restaurant just down the street from the Brentwood Cactus Club and one right next door to the Station Square Cactus Club. Joey Burnaby is located just up the street from the Brentwood Cactus Club.
“I am incredibly proud of the team that built Cactus Club into Canada’s leading casual fine dining brand,” Jaffray said. “There is no finer team to be found anywhere, and I know they will carry the Cactus Club brand on to continued success in the future.”
- With additional reporting by Kirk Penton, Castanet
