MOUNT PLEASANT VINTAGE AND PROVISIONS

Stories to fuel your mind

VANCOUVER’S HOTTEST ‘NEW’ BAR & GRILL DATES BACK OVER A CENTURY

Share the story

Story by Joe Leary

Rarely do you discover a social ‘in’ spot in a location that dates back decades, yet is

arguably the hottest ‘new’ destination in town.

Since its launch on August 31, 2022, Mount Pleasant Vintage and Provisions has become just that: Vancouver’s newest hotspot. Nestled amid an unassuming, quasi-residential strip of addresses along West 6th Avenue in the historic Mount Pleasant area, this ultra cool, retro-style throwback bar and grill is housed in a heritage ‘A Status’ structure that dates back to the turn of the century.

A HOSPITALITY ‘LIFER’ AT THE HELM

Owner/operator Cam Bogue is no stranger to hospitality culture. In fact, he is a self-described hospitality lifer.I spent twelve years working for independents, says Bogue of his impressive bartending and leadership career, which began in 1998.

His resumé is stellar and includes key positions in Whistler and New York City, where he helped open four restaurants for esteemed Chef Daniel Boulud, as well as Las Vegas. It was there he finished up his degree in Hospitality Management at that city’s famed UNLV.

In 2010 Bogue was approached by Earl’s Restaurants to join their executive team as director of beverage operations, where he further honed his skills. Armed with his vast experience and knowledge, it seemed certain that he would ‘hit it out of the park’ on any hospitality-oriented future projects should they occur. The always affable ‘bar star’ has clearly struck gold with his first solo venture in East Vancouver

THE CREATION OF A CONCEPT

I’ve had this idea for a bar drawn out in three different locations before this,” he says, of Mount Pleasant Vintage and Provisions, his ultra-hip bar and grill within one of the city’s heritage structures. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur and I know restaurants like the back of my hand.

I studied them for 24 years where I’ve had the influence of purchasing, marketing and design, so I felt comfortable opening my own place. With a capacity of 188, including two patios, both front and back, Mount Pleasant Vintage and Provisions is retro and cool, while some what of a transportation portal back in time through its decor.

With a capacity of 188, including two patios, both front and back, Mount Pleasant Vintage and Provisions is retro and cool, while somewhat of a transportation portal back in time through its decor.Response from patrons was immediate.

We tried to open our doors quietly,” says Bogue, while noting that, “We were written about as being the most anticipated Vancouver restaurant of 2022 before we even opened. We opened up gangbusters and to this day are still catching up.”

THE NAME GAME

Among the early challenges, beyond scouting out the perfect location, was the naming process.

Funny story, he replies, when asked. The name was actually the last resort.

The concept was originally called ‘The OG’—all my contractor plans have it on them and it was going to be called that in whatever location we opened with.

It was to be ‘The Olympic Gardens’ but the word Olympic doesn’t pass vetting or legal. ‘OG’ is also trademarked a ton of times in different capacities, so it’s just set up for conflict.

They were undaunted by all that. The name game continued. Then it was going to be called ‘Sweet Nothings,’ but that’s also trademarked for restaurant use in the US.

After that, we were going to call it ‘Easy Tiger’—but that’s trademarked by a bar in Austin, Texas.

Finally we got down to about sixty days before opening and went back to our original routes of opening up and over-delivering a local neighbourhood bar, so we adopted a name and called it Vintage and Provisions.

That denotes that it is a bar and grill, but we also sell stuff.
By that, he means virtually everything you see from the walls to the floors is available for sale.

A MENU BY UNIQUE DESIGN

With a beverage list that ranges from draft beer to high-end cocktails, along with an accompanying food menu that offers everything from hot dogs and tater-tots to infinitely more exotic fare, Mount Pleasant Vintage and Provisions may appear somewhat kitschy on the surface, but it scores high marks on the ‘ultra cool’ index.

I’m super lucky to have had jobs that have afforded me the opportunity to travel the world and check out other bars and see what trends are developing, says Bogue.

What I’m noticing is that people that have worked at, or opened some of the best bars in the world – typically, the speakeasies of ten or twenty years ago – are now in a place where they’re doing things that are more fun or lowbrow but still have high-end offerings.

As a regular customer of Mount Pleasant Vintage and Provisions, I can attest firsthand that it definitely ticks all the right boxes.

And with Vancouver now having a popular hotspot so unique, it begs asking if more such locations may appear on the local landscape in the future.

Cam Bogue has a simple answer. My background is operating multi-unit chains, he says. Once we prove this successful, I definitely want to expand.

Mount Pleasant Vintage and Provisions is located at 67 West 6th Avenue, Vancouver.

Since its launch on August 31, 2022, Mount Pleasant

Vintage and Provisions has become just that

Vancouver’s newest hotspot.

I wanted a casual place, but one where we under-promise and over-deliver every component throughout the brand. We’re just a simple neighbourhood bar and grill, a meeting place in a city that’s void of it. As a regular customer of Mount Pleasant Vintage and Provisions, I can attest firsthand that it definitely ticks all the right boxes.

And with Vancouver now having a popular hotspot so unique, it begs asking if more such locations may appear on the local landscape in the future. Cam Bogue has a simple answer.

My background is operating multi-unit chains, he says. Once we prove this successful, I definitely want to expand. Mount Pleasant Vintage and Provisions is located at 67 West 6th Avenue, Vancouver.