There's been a little shake-up at two unrelated Vancouver restaurants, leaving both fairly new spots on the city's dining scene temporarily closed to facilitate some changes.
Earlier this month, Wild Thing on Main, the day-to-night hangout that replaced The Wallflower in Mount Pleasant, revealed its roster of industry veteran owners were passing the torch to new operators.
The news came via a since-deleted Instagram message from the @wildthingonmain account (the entire feed has been scrubbed at this time).
Wild Thing on Main opened in October 2022 as a sibling to Wild Thing Snack Bar, a veg/vegan wine bar on Powell Street, which itself had only debuted a few months earlier. Last month, however, Wild Thing Snack Bar closed after just shy of a year in business (the space is now available for pop-ups), leaving Wild Thing on Main standing.
The restaurant had brunch and lunch by day and dinner and drinks in the evening, with a casual vibe in the former diner space.
The Wild Thing crew was made up of longtime hospitality and arts scene pros, including Ezra Kish (The Boxcar, The Ellis Building), Erin Rideout (former GM of The American), Todd Graham (HandTaste Ferments), Kody Abrams (Greenhorn Cafe) and Rayne Williams (East Van Roasters).
Currently, the Wild Thing website is essentially scrubbed, as we await word on who has taken over and what their plans are for the concept (and if the name will stay with the business).
Similarly, in Chinatown, The Darkside, which got off the ground only last December (in the ex-Union space) as a sibling to Kevin Lin and Steph Wan's Kerrisdale spot Land and Sea, is now temporarily closed for an ownership and personnel change.
In an Instagram story on his personal account, Lin shared this week that he and his business partner (and fiancée), Wan, were stepping away from The Darkside in order to find some much-needed work-life balance.
"We regret to inform you that Darkside will be temporarily closed We apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding," reads the restaurant's website. The casual, evening-only Asian gastropub was known for a menu of dishes fuelled by nostalgia paired with drinks in a lively atmosphere.
Once more info is available, V.I.A. will offer an update on what's next for Wild Thing on Main (2420 Main St) and The Darkside (219 Union St).
