Diners will have to wait a little longer to find out when Cactus Club will be moving in to a major mall.
But we already know its plans for a different mall in Burnaby.
The restaurant giant that has three outlets in Burnaby alone – Brentwood, Station Square in the Metrotown area and Market Crossing in South Burnaby – announced that it won’t be moving into a new two-storey mega restaurant in the Amazing Brentwood shopping mall expansion.
But it is moving into a different mall.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the company said a Cactus Club will be built at Coquitlam Centre mall, but said it is not ready to announce any further plans.
“We are very excited that Cactus will be opening a restaurant at Coquitlam Centre. At this time we do not have any additional plans to announce for this location,” spokesperson Divya Mohan stated in an email.
So with Cactus Club making clear its future plans, where does that leave the Amazing Brentwood. A mall spokesperson previously said it is now looking for a new restaurant to move into this flagship-sized space.
Not many restaurant owners have the kind of resources for such a space. Some examples include Earls, Browns Social House, Boston Pizza, White Spot and Joey. But most of those companies already have set spaces in the Brentwood area.
Perhaps a big restaurant chain from Ontario will look to stake a claim in B.C. in this emerging shopping centre?
Stay tuned.
In 2019, Coquitlam city council approved a development permit for the restaurant chain to build a 10,130-sq. ft. standalone eatery at the south end of the mall property, facing the Barnet Highway.
Cactus Club, meanwhile, currently operates a restaurant at 101 Schoolhouse St. in Coquitlam.
Recently, the company decided not to open in the Amazing Brentwood mall expansion
The restaurant chain was started in 1988 in North Vancouver by Richard Jaffray, according to the company’s website.
In its first 25 years, Cactus Club Cafe grew to include 25 locations and employed 2,000 people.
Like all B.C. restaurants, Cactus Club is dealing with COVID-19 restrictions and dine-in meals are currently prohibited although restaurants are allowed outdoor dining, and takeout.
The current provincial health order is in place until May 25 at midnight.
- With files from Diane Strandberg
