In mid-June, tears were flowing as fast as when you're cutting onions when word got out that beloved East Vancouver bar and burger spot Trans Am was closing permanently.
The small, irreverent bar-restaurant's owner Gianmarco Colannino told fans of his award-winning cocktails and burgers operation that "unfortunately with the way things are going, this concept just doesn’t work right now."
However, while COVID did put Trans Am the bar down, it has not put them out of the burger game. Colannino has just launched Turbo x Trans Am, a take-out operation doubling as a retail spot for carefully curated local goods.
And, to be fair, Colannino did warn us things were going to go "turbo," as he said in Trans Am's farewell message: "In Trans Am fashion, we won’t let you down, think of it like this, we’re just going to slap a couple turbos onto this beast. If you thought Trans Am was fucking cool, chapter 2 will blow you away, hopefully."
Taking place in the former Trans Am space at 1879 Powell Street, "TXTA" operates Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m.
In addition to Trans Am's signature juicy multi-napkin burgers, the shop has a quirky assortment of locally-made items for purchase, ranging from burger-embossed leather keychains to tees and vintage jackets, along with food like Mumgry peanut butter.
The new venture got up and running Friday, August 7, and folks have already made a beeline for those epic smashburgers. Follow @turbo_x_trans_am on Instagram for updates.
