The new year will ring in new ownership for a landmark diner on Broadway in Vancouver.
When Margaret and John Yu bought Paul’s Restaurant at 1800 Broadway in 1992, they considered changing the name and converting to a Chinese menu. Instead, they decided to honor the family-style restaurant’s tradition.
“We kept everything the same,” Margaret Yu said.
Now, the Yus are retiring after 32 years of running the business, and today is the last day for the diner’s decades-old menu.
On Jan. 1, Paul’s Restaurant will close for cleanup and any remodeling to be done by the new owner, Tipsy Piggy LLC, a company registered to Paul Rosenbluh.
The restaurant’s name is going to stay the same, once again aligning with the name of the owner, Margaret Yu said. The Yus bought Paul’s from Paul Bell.
He opened his diner as Broadway Cafe in 1968 but changed the name to Paul’s Restaurant a couple of years later. The restaurant kept up with the times by adding a bar and cigarette machines (which are now long gone) but retained its decor over the years.
The diner had a star turn when the movie “Wild,” starring actress Reese Witherspoon, filmed one scene there in November 2013 as a stand-in for Reno, Nev.
Margaret Yu said she doesn’t know what changes the new owner intends to make other than that he plans to update the menu and its design.
She said she’s grateful to the diner’s loyal customers and friends.
“I think the new owner will do the job really well,” she said, “so Paul’s Restaurant’s legacy will be continued.”
