The last remaining location of Jethro’s Fine Grub – which oh-so-briefly was three locations strong – closed on Aug. 31, 2019. Photo: Jethro’s Fine Grub/Facebook
An irreverent diner known for their bigger-than-your-head breakfast plates recently closed down their last remaining location. Jethro's Fine Grub packed it in for good on August 31, 2019 at their Fraser Street restaurant.
Jethro's began in Dunbar in 2010, and quickly gained a rep for their epic breakfast dishes (like pancakes stuffed with bacon or Frosted Flakes, for example). In 2016 owners D’Arcy Allen and Emily Jane Stuart added a second location, at 3455 Fraser Street.
It was in the hopes of franchising the Jethro’s Fine Grub appeal that they got into a partnership to open a third location in the West Endin 2017.
The partnership dissolved, however, and they made the difficult decision to close almost as soon as they opened.
In July 2018, Jethro's opted to close down their original Dunbar location due to a rent increase dispute with their landlord. They soldiered on over on Fraser, but announced this summer they'd be shutting down for good at the end of August, bringing to an end nearly 10 years of daytime eats in Vancouver.
"It’s been almost a decade of grub slingin’ and we will always thank our hungry fans for keeping us relevant," said Jethro's.
This time, it was a redevelopment that has closed Jethro's down. The rezoning application for the bulk of the the block, 3429-3469 Fraser, had been in motion for several months; it was approved on Oct. 1, 2019, just two months after Jethro's closed their doors. Several tenants will likely opt to close up as demolition looms, including The Pie Hole in their original location at the other end of the block.
D’Arcy Allen and Emily Jane Stuart closed the Dunbar location of Jethro’s Fine Grub on July 25. Photograph By DAN TOULGOET
It's unclear if Jethro's has plans to be reborn elsewhere in Vancouver, or if they will move the concept out of town. Last year, when Dunbar closed, Allen said “it’s pretty saturated here [in Vancouver] and you can see what’s happening here in this city. It’s not very inviting or hospitable for small business owners. [Another] Jethro’s might be best suited for Kelowna or Nanaimo or Kamloops.”
With files from Martha Perkins/Vancouver Courier
