It ain’t over till the last insult is slung.
That’s the defiant attitude of Patrice Savoie, owner of the Elbow Room Cafe on Davie Street — a staple of both the West End and Vancouver’s gay community since 1983.
On May 4, the city announced the property, which houses the café and several other establishments, will be redeveloped into affordable housing by the year 2021, putting the restaurant’s future in limbo.
There are some hints upon arrival that the Elbow Room isn’t your average restaurant, and no one who walks through the door is safe from becoming part of the theatrics. Before customers even take a seat, or grab a cup of coffee — heaven help you if you ask a server for a refill — a vivacious waiter will have already dished up a healthy jab or barb to cut them down to size.
Like any good show, you need good actors. This is where the employees of the Elbow Room take centre stage, walking the line expertly between shrewd insults and good-natured — albeit raunchy — entertainment.
“It’s really refreshing to work for a place where you can just be yourself,” says Piotr Konrad Jaskiewicz, who has been a waiter at the Elbow Room for the past five years. “It’s really liberating to be able to say what you want to customers.”
The emphasis on flair starts at the top. Savoie has operated the restaurant in the West End since 1983, and his prerogative has never changed: to leave customers a little fuller than when they arrived, both in stomach and in spirit.
“We try to make it so that the people leave knowing they got a good meal, but at the same time it wasn’t just food that they bought but maybe a little bit of pleasure at the same time,” Savoie says.
This approach has helped him foster a deep connection with his patrons over the years, many of whom have developed into close friends.
“I’ve had customers that have come in and go, ‘Oh Patrick I’m so down.’ And we talk and they go, ‘Patrick I feel like you’re part of my family.’”
It seems those days are numbered, however. The city is going ahead with its plan to develop seven Vancouver sites into affordable housing. While the Elbow Room sits within the boundaries of one such site on the corner of Davie and Seymour streets, Savoie still isn’t convinced the development is a done deal.
“They don’t even have yet the development permit sign on the building, or anything telling the people what they want to do with the area,” Savoie says. “So who knows what’s going to happen.”
He is also interested to see what changes a new mayor and city council could potentially bring to the discussion this October.
With the wheels in motion, however, at the very least Savoie expects customers to be entertained for another year or two while the process plays out. After that, he is unsure of what the future holds. Savoie says it will all depend on his staff. He adds he’s grateful for their support in the wake of his husband, and co-founder of the cafe, Bryan Searle’s death in December. If staff has the desire to continue in a new location, Savoie will do his best to make it happen.
However, he stresses, the main impediment is being able to survive as an independent restaurant in today’s high-priced downtown real estate market.
“It’s very hard to find a lot of private small cafes anymore in this city,” Savoie says. “There’s no mama and papa coffee shop that is opening up because they can’t afford to make it.”
Since news of the redevelopment broke, people are lining up to make sure they get one final taste of the Elbow Room’s food and, most importantly, the biting, yet caring, ambience.
“The abuse, the bloody abuse. Where are we going to go for that?” asks longtime customer Jen Roper. “[And] where will Patrick get his bitch on? I hope they find another location because it’s a Vancouver thing. It’s an institution that we will all miss.”
Isabelle Raghem heard plenty about the cafe, but when she learned the news she decided to make a trip over from Victoria before the curtain closes on this unique brand of live theatre.
“It’s a fun time. Good food, and the atmosphere feels like you’re in a show.”
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