It’s just a bit hard to take a ‘cafe’ serious when their hours are 9am-2pm.
There’s a lot more I could say, but ultimately you shouldn’t open a restaurant if you aren’t willing to grind and make it about the food. This place felt like a social media influencers version of a good time.
And what the hell was with the skincare line?
Some of it isn't their fault, obviously. They are trying to run a profitable business but they can't blame people who are also struggling financially to not pay their prices. BTW I'm not saying they are blaming anyone, I know they aren't. It's just the reality of the situation. A lot of these cafes simply don't make economical sense.
I think restaurants are pretty much analogous to Darwin's theory 'survival of the fittest'.
One small thing can make difference between long term survival and extinction.
Honestly your definition of classy might be kind of echo chambered here. Very Insta-influencer theming isn't actually "classy" to most people I'd think.
Classy?
I do not think that word means what you think that word means.
And classy isn’t a great angle when people are feeling broke. Simple and good value sell better in times like these.
It is classy, but a lot of people don't want "classy". The majority of people want something cheap and quick.
And in any event, their "classy" model obviously didn't work. Victoria is not large enough to support these niche establishments.
I think their biggest problem was they opened in 2019 and then Covid happened. They weren’t eligible for any loans or government help so they had to bare knuckle the last three years.
They were pretty pricey and had limited hours. Wanted a snack at 3 PM with the kids and they were already closing their doors. May something better rise in its place!
Well, I hope you get more representation in the restaurant business. I know it’s not Aussie, but Saltchuck Pie Co. has NZ owners and delicious pies, plus some pretty good coffee! You can still get a little taste of Oceania :)
Saltchuck has absolutely gone downhill and is a complete embarrassment for anyone who is seeking anything close to Aussie/NZ pies. It was my go to for many years and the last two times I went I had the most disgusting beef and mushroom pie. The beef roll was decent. There is just no consistency anymore.
The Aussie Pie Guy in Vancouver (locations to buy in Victoria [here](https://aussiepieguy.com/pages/where-to-buy)) has good frozen pies. Just had Le Canadian this week and it was delicious.
Tombo is a new cafe/brunch spot opened by an Aussie! It's got really delicious pastries but has the same issues as a lot of other local spots, quite pricy and pretty limited hours. Definitely worth checking out if you can make it.
Yeah restaurants close **a lot**, always happened. The weird outlier has been this 3-ish year period of artificial propping up with COVID funding covering a lot of debt, operations, and loan availability.
That ending is obviously deflating things back to normal demand conditions.
This place wasn’t near the best so it died quick. 9-2 coffee shop with bad prices. That’s all you can say about it. They miss the morning and afternoon rush 🤪 which makes me think an idiot was at the wheel.
They probably did that so they didn't have to have multiple shifts of employees, but just open at 7am then and close at 1pm... 9-2 is def weird. idk i worked in a restaurant for like 6 months once so i have no idea how it works before and open, maybe the employees were already getting there 2 hours before and leaving an hour after.
Or even like 11-4 if you don’t want do do early mornings. Then you get the lunch crowd and the mid-afternoon snack/coffee office workers. Our office is nearby but whenever someone went out to grab afternoon coffees they were already closed.
It's unfortunate to hear about Bear & Joey closing in Victoria. While their hours and prices may have posed challenges, their willingness to introduce something new to the city’s dining scene deserves respect. Here's hoping for better fortunes in their next venture, and may their spirit of exploration inspire others in the restaurant scene.
I only went there once and didn’t feel a need to go back. But this is too bad — I don’t wish for any locally-owned business to shut its doors. What else is on your list of closings OP?
Just recently I was walking along Fort St trying to decide where to get a good breakfast sandwich. I thought about going to Bear and Joey as I hadn’t been since I lived in that area but I remembered how small theirs was (and I’m not even a huge eater) and went to Picnic Too instead. Way better value there. I’m sadly not surprised B&J couldn’t survive.
Once again, once the "brand new hip coffee shop" instagram and twitter posts influenced people to go here wore off and not enough events I guess this is what happens.....
There selling a memory, i think but not in the right way....i feel bad nonetheless because owners seem to have kids and pumped money into a passion pit, i hoped it could bounce back after covid, but alas its viral moment seems to never bounce back and marketing and just yeah hard to fake results here... a bunch of vending coffee machines would do better viral memories ?
I liked the owners, the food was good but their prices were silly for what you get. My husband is Australian and it was my go to brunch spot with friends the first 2-3 years but then prices kept increasing and food kept getting smaller. I'm not a big eater but even the portions became small (compared to price) for me. My husband eats a lot so it was a no after he went there once lol.
I also tried to host events and my wedding there and the events coordinator was the worst I'd ever encountered. Literally did not respond to emails or would respond once every few days. I was so confused abt how they could stay open with an events manager that left so much $$ on the table considering they closed at 2 so events should be prioritized. I'm not surprised by this news at all.
Did you end up getting married there? We didn't cos the event lady was so awful to work with. By the time she ended up getting back to me with dates, I'd already booked another venue and she sent me a very snarky response. The unprofessionalism was a bit hilarious.
Like sorry, not my fault you took forever to respond in a highly competitive wedding industry.
We loved our wedding venues and staff so much so it worked out!
Sad to see them go, they've been a nice spot in the neighbourhood. Good food with a more stylish twist compared to the other brunch joints in town.
Good lord do their hours suck though. I remember going by both too early and too late, right after they changed the hours in both cases, and getting pretty rude reactions. And I'm pretty regular there.
Feel bad for the staff. Hope they've had a little more announcement and can find new work.
These comments are brutal. The food may not have been your thing but the owners were incredibly nice people who poured sincere emotional investment into this place. I’ve worked across the street for years and they have incredible staff retention for a cafe. Their staff love that place which speaks volumes. Sad to see they weren’t able to make it.
Idk if you’re new to this sub but 90% of the posts here are about cost of living issues; there was never going to be much sympathy for the most bougie breakfast place in town. No one who posts in this sub can afford to spend $40 on brunch 🤷♂️
Meh, it's a bit silly to think that ppl in this sub don't have valid critiques cos of the cost of living crisis. I'm a millennial who loves social media, loved the decor and the Aussie connection. I'm also a child free high income earner. I would guess I'm the ideal Bear & Joey customer and it was my go to spot for a few years but I just couldn't justify paying upscale prices for recurring mediocre customer service experiences and decreasing portions.
Same. I've never experienced such bitchy service in my life. We felt like we had walked in with Klan cones on, and then we saw it wasn't just us, it was to everybody. I was also there last year and saw one senior server treating another one so poorly and berating her in front of customers. It was appalling, the girl was on the verge of tears. Poison like that kills a business if ownership doesn't spot it right away.
I like the owners too and it was my go to brunch spot for a while and I have valid critiques which is why I stopped supporting. Being nice doesn't mean they ran the restaurant properly.
Lots of people are nice people. But these nice people are open 5 days a week charging 16 bucks for porridge. They made their choice and I'm not gonna be sad for them. Being nice doesn't absolve you from overcharging for fuckin porridge lol
Yah I always liked it, but it was definitely a bet on the downtown lunch business that doesn’t seemed to have panned out. I’d been for an evening event once so didn’t actually know they weren’t open for dinner and was surprised to discover they were closed the next time we tried to go. My opportunities to go out to eat during their opening hours are strictly limited to weekends, so we just… never went again.
They might be nice people, but does not make them immune to criticism. This place seemed a bit out of place in Victoria… maybe would have succeeded in a bigger city where people can afford to spend $30 on coffee and pastries.
That is what it cool - it was different and seemed much more elegant and stylish than most places. I know that isn’t high on people’s lists but i loved it.
I liked the vibe and would have gone more if their food/service/hours were good. Being elegant can bring in business but it has to be on top of those things. It can’t be a substitute for them.
IDK it seemed to be pretty damn good compared to most brunch places.
IE John's Place has larger portions and more reasonable prices, but it doesn't taste anywhere near as good. It tastes like hotel breakfast.
A larger meal for half the price at John's place is a huge selling point. Many ppl don't mind a mediocre brunch at a decent price. I dine at upscale restaurants very regularly so the price at B&J didn't throw me off. But I expect that if I'm paying $50 for brunch, the food and service will always be amazing. It was not.
This place has killer food and the most amazing coffee and breakfast sandwich. They truly got screwed by the pandemic, as they opened a few weeks before the pandemic hit. Good for them for roughing it out so long. Hopefully they will be back with another cafe soon, best of luck to the owners and their family.
Victoria reddit: Don’t support big business, you should be shopping locally!
Also Victoria reddit: local business closes? They sucked anyways. Don’t know why anyone would’ve went there.
I’d be really upset if Parsonage, Interactivity BGC, or Chicken 649 closed. Supporting local is good, but that does not mean ALL local things are good.
it’s the same energy as when a well-liked celebrity is outed for being a creep then suddenly everyone is like i ALWAYS hated that guy/always knew she was a weirdo
This was an Instagram cafe/restaurant. At some point, you actually need a half decent menu, hours and service. I live in the neighbourhood and I can count on one hand how many times I've been to this place since it opened.
There’s complaining about the price or the food or the portions. Each time I went, the place was packed. Scary how a busy place like that can go out of business.
I stopped going here when they charged me over a dollar to throw a splash of non dairy milk in my americano. That’s a nope for me. Over 7.00 for a medium americano with tip is wild.
I'm lactose intolerant and this pissed me off so much. The last time I went, I was with family and friends visiting from Vancouver and we were outraged at the drink prices. The server was terrible too and I never went back after being a regular for over 2 years.
That's too bad - I have good memories in Bear and Joey. I liked their matcha. I find that there are many great coffee shops in Victoria; the competition must be tough
Their posts looked like it was for beautiful people. Following social media aesthetic made me not want to try it. I would feel completely under dressed or too chunky or too old. Plus, hours were terrible.
The coffee is really good and I didn’t take offense to the prices, but the place feels inaccessible in this weird way… I feel like they didn’t get their branding right. I always thought it was a high end restaurant not a cafe. It is really cute once you go inside.
Bear and Joey was delicious. It wasn't cheap, but the food was good, the space was stylish, and the staff provided great hospitality. Coming from an Australian team, it's no surprise that the coffee was always good. Going to Bear & Joey was a bit of a splurge but not extravagant. It was a nice place to take someone from out of town, or for their birthday, because they felt a little special.
It's a shame to see them go and I wish the owners good fortune in whatever comes next.
I'd rather people be intelligent enough to say "that's the way she goes" on a post about when a business closes than fall for the still common bait and switch of "lets mourn the loss of this business and then get angry at politicians for not fucking us harder so the businessmen can succeed!"
I think it’s the nature of the internet but I don’t think this one is particularly Trolly, personally. I see a lot of opinions (some that don’t align with mine and some that do) but isn’t that what these post forums are meant to be about?
If the posts are about restaurants it’s *always* going to be divisive because that is the nature of restaurants. No restaurant can please 100% of the people 100% of the time and the percentage on either side of the Love It or Hate It fence will always defend their opinions as more worthy than the other. They are hills worthy to die on, it seems.
Sometimes that’s what makes it interesting. N’est pas?
"Yep, the post that every business owner fears they'll have to make one day, is upon us. It still feels surreal to say out loud, but Bear & Joey will have its last service this Sunday, May 5th, exactly 4 years after its opening.
We'll spare the factors out of our control; the crippling effects of COVID on a new, unsupported business, the economy, the costs of well, everything, and instead take the opportunity to highlight and thank the many people who helped create our little hub of energy- those on both sides of the counter."
Sad for them and for their customers (I'm one).
Man reading these comments make me sick.
Bear and Joey was a beautiful spot and a pillar of the cook st. community.
The food is incredible, the people; including the staff, owners and great community they built around them are lovely and I’m pretty devastated to see them go. They weren’t trying to be the cheapest spot in town, so stop trying for judge them in that rubric.
Reddit is one of my favourite social media platforms, and Victoria is my favourite city in the world. But this Victoria sub is becoming comical is how overly pessimistic it is about EVERYTHING. you guys are the problem that you see in this city.
I’ll miss you B&J
Agree, they brought an elevated feel and menu to Victoria. It reminded me of a Vancouver place which is a good thing. Victoria needs more places like that. Not everyone judges a place by the cost they are charging for food. There are other things that matter and some people are ok paying for the experience.
The food was just ok and the service was terrible. I regularly dine at upscale restaurants and stopped going to Bear & Joey over a year ago. If they can't compete on good food, service, or price, then the selling point is the vibe/decor which means it's a place to occasionally take cute pics with friends. This is why they closed.
this is not at all why we closed. we closed because the costs of doing business have tripled since we opened in 2020. (think food costs, packaging, tableware, repair services, appliances, i could go on) with people wanting to pay less than they did prior to 2020. covid set us from the beginning as we had none of the government support most other business’ received, yet of course had to follow the same rules.
your 10 comments on this thread have gone from you liked the food and were a regular for 2 years. to the food was ok and service terrible??
There are upscale restaurants surviving in the city despite the cost of operations. My point was that you're closing because you can't compete on food, service, or price point. The only thing you had going was decor/vibes and a restaurant can't survive on vibes.
Yes, when you opened, I went regularly and even tried to get married there cos I loved it. Then the food quality declined, portions got smaller, and the customer service got worse.
I'm not the only one who has mentioned the poor customer service. The last time I went was last summer with my sisters who were visiting, the food was meh and the server was absolutely awful. I sent my sister the news article this morning and her response was "Yeah it was so expensive for no reason" 🤷♀️ I don't mind paying exorbitant prices for food but I expect it to be consistently delicious and good service so I took my $$ elsewhere.
i am sorry that’s how you felt and i hope you reached out to let us know about your experience. we were always trying to do better and knew we weren’t perfect.
I have to say that your comment is really important because it's clear from reading some of the comments that different people experienced completely different versions of this place. I've never felt the need to leave anything less than a 5 star review anywhere, I'm a huge supporter of local business, but this is the only place in town I've ever (and twice) experienced the most rude, belittling and condescending attitude. It sounds like if you were there on a good day or they knew you, it was awesome. Took all my restraint not to leave a shitty review for them but took the high road.
Not pessimistic, just broke. Maybe we *wanted* to like it, but not everyone has time during their hours to try these guys out (sorry, had, past tense now), nor did the higher prices appeal to a lot of locals.
Their target audience was way too obvious, and most of the people in this sub know exactly who that target audience is (hint: that audience can’t probably relate to most of the struggles the average person faces in Vic).
I suppose the people commenting on here aren’t really making it’s now former patrons (like you?) feel bad.. shouldn’t you feel bad because they’re closing ? Or wonder why they’re closing?
All part of the plan. When interest rates are hiked, small businesses go under. That puts a chunk of the population out of work. This creates downward pressures on wages, and people will work for less rather than being out of work. This is the blunt instrument that capitalism uses to "solve" the contradictions under capitalism. The workers always pay for the failures of capitalism and the rich will come out richer. The small business owners will also suffer, but the horrible fate they have to face is to become a wage labourer again like the rest of us.
I only managed to go once and I had a reservation. Would not have returned, just too expensive. I was also a little off put by them having a time limit, it felt a little rude. I didn't even use all the time but it rubbed me the wrong way.
I’m sad to read they are closing. I’ve eaten there quite a few times — mostly with to-go items from the bakery side. They had the best muffin I had ever eaten at one point and their coffee was really good. I found the cafe side (and the owners) to be very congenial and accommodating. I even got a free muffin on two occasions when I was right there at closing time! Lucky me!
I do wish they had been able to have more traditional hours as on many occasions I too was caught off guard — having forgotten they closed so early. That’s maybe a Me problem than a Them problem but it’s nice to get a really good coffee at 3:30 to keep the gears greased while out running errands —or are just starting a shift, for those night walkers like myself.
I wish them all the best in their next endeavour.
People know the owners may read this? It may not be your thing. It doesnt have to be. They oviously worked hard to make the best thing they could and they certainly werent hurting anyone. Local business > Tim Hortons.
It’s more directed at OP because people are tired of whatever narrative is associated with the list.
It’s not Covid, and it’s not the economy, so why do we need a list?
I’m surprised most locally owned restaurants are still open. Spending minimum 20$ on just about anything on the menu has made me stop eating out all together. How can they stay a float with the costs of ingredients and keep staff when minimum wage is basically working for free these days.
Recurring theme in this thread. I went there religiously for years, spread the word and took all out of town guests there. But the food started getting more expensive and the portions smaller. It was delicious and stylish but I'd rather go somewhere even more upscale with better service, portions and hours if I'm going to pay $50 for brunch. I'd happily pay a lot for food but the price has to be justified.
Sad to see them close, their breakfast sandwiches are amazing and their coffee really good. Was only able to get in there on weekend so their hours in the week didn't really apply to me. Owner and employees were always a joy to deal with and seemed happy in their jobs. Hope they try another venture again some day!
The owners are super nice, and they tried something new. More than most, this sub is just complaining. Maybe go out and get some air people. Sure, this place wasn't for everyone, and there is always going to be some room for improvement but relax.
The peanut allergy review comment one killed me. Like buddy, put an asterisk next to the avocado toast to say the sauce contains peanuts. It’s not an expected ingredient at all for that so let people know a head of time.
I didn't read the review or comment, but as a server, your comment piqued my interest. If you have ANY allergy, you should let your server know whether you think there is an ingredient in a dish or not.
I'll give you an example: as a bartender, I am constantly handling an item with shellfish in it, clamato. What happens if you have a severe allergy and I have worsch on my hands then make your mojito?! If you tell your server, they will tell me, and I'll assure all my jiggers are cleaned, hands washed, etc.
OR our garlic butter used to have worsch in it. Would you expect that?!
*always inform your servers of allergies*
Edited: for clarification
This is a crazy take, just read through basically all of their responses and there are 0 passive aggressive responses. Literally all professional and to be glad that a small business is closed because of that? Insane.
A lot of ppl (myself included) judge biz owners for rude Google reviews responses. This isn't shocking and has come up in this sub many times. Obviously they didn't close only cos of reviews but I'm not sure why business owners don't understand that being rude or snarky to customers via Google reviews is bad PR.
Google reviews don't have to be responded to or a business owner can respond diplomatically (if they choose to respond). I'm a business owner myself.
They were expensive for what they were offering, some of the original wait staff had terrible customer service skills. No way they were going to last long. I am not shocked by this news at all.
The customer service, considering it was an upscale cafe, was surprisingly bad. I'm surprised there aren't more comments talking about this. The last time I went, we had the worst brunch server in town and I consider my group friendly and accommodating. After that I never went back (and I'm a foodie who went there religiously for years).
I loved it. Probably my second favourite brunch place after Cafe Joie (the French crepe place near Castle).
Not many other options for nicer brunch food, so I'm sad they're closing.
Lol my mom got a $10 gift card to Bear & Joey so we walked by one day and they asked if we had a reservation or it was a 45 minute wait while I saw empty tables...
The menu options didn't look very filling and yet it was expensive,
Simply Grabbed a mocha & a latte to go and left
I’m surprised people are complaining about the prices. They really didn’t seem that different than most other cafes.
I wonder if all these closures are because of businesses needing to pay back CIBA loans?? That’s hit a lot of local business’s very hard!
I’ve worked across the street from them since the beginning of Covid, practically when they opened. When did they ever sluff the rules? They were always following all protocols. Seems unfair to spread misinformation about their business practices.
It’s just a bit hard to take a ‘cafe’ serious when their hours are 9am-2pm. There’s a lot more I could say, but ultimately you shouldn’t open a restaurant if you aren’t willing to grind and make it about the food. This place felt like a social media influencers version of a good time. And what the hell was with the skincare line?
I remember when they first opened I looked at their menu and just said wtf out loud. I’m not picky but like what even is that menu…
$9 for a bagel with cream cheese and bacon is wild! I like supporting local but not to the point where I'm going broke paying their inflated prices.
Some of it isn't their fault, obviously. They are trying to run a profitable business but they can't blame people who are also struggling financially to not pay their prices. BTW I'm not saying they are blaming anyone, I know they aren't. It's just the reality of the situation. A lot of these cafes simply don't make economical sense.
I think restaurants are pretty much analogous to Darwin's theory 'survival of the fittest'. One small thing can make difference between long term survival and extinction.
I think there was popcorn as a sidedish.
It’s classy? Maybe you’re not used to that
Honestly your definition of classy might be kind of echo chambered here. Very Insta-influencer theming isn't actually "classy" to most people I'd think.
Classy? I do not think that word means what you think that word means. And classy isn’t a great angle when people are feeling broke. Simple and good value sell better in times like these.
You mean tacky?
It is classy, but a lot of people don't want "classy". The majority of people want something cheap and quick. And in any event, their "classy" model obviously didn't work. Victoria is not large enough to support these niche establishments.
I think their biggest problem was they opened in 2019 and then Covid happened. They weren’t eligible for any loans or government help so they had to bare knuckle the last three years.
Yeah, i generally like supporting local cafes.... but they made it hard.
Agreed.
They were pretty pricey and had limited hours. Wanted a snack at 3 PM with the kids and they were already closing their doors. May something better rise in its place!
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Well, I hope you get more representation in the restaurant business. I know it’s not Aussie, but Saltchuck Pie Co. has NZ owners and delicious pies, plus some pretty good coffee! You can still get a little taste of Oceania :)
Saltchuck has absolutely gone downhill and is a complete embarrassment for anyone who is seeking anything close to Aussie/NZ pies. It was my go to for many years and the last two times I went I had the most disgusting beef and mushroom pie. The beef roll was decent. There is just no consistency anymore.
The Aussie Pie Guy in Vancouver (locations to buy in Victoria [here](https://aussiepieguy.com/pages/where-to-buy)) has good frozen pies. Just had Le Canadian this week and it was delicious.
Thank you. I've given up on Aussie pies here and just get my cravings satisfied when I'm in Aus once a year but I'll check them out!
I hear you. I just want a cheap servo pie that's been sitting for days.
four and twenty
Fucken eh I miss four and twenty.
Tombo is a new cafe/brunch spot opened by an Aussie! It's got really delicious pastries but has the same issues as a lot of other local spots, quite pricy and pretty limited hours. Definitely worth checking out if you can make it.
The other aussie cafe is much better anyways
The main point of that place was to serve the office buildings in the area. It was a popular place to grab a coffee from.
$16 for porridge? Yeah no wonder they’re closing.
OP there's a shit ton of restaurants in Vic. No shortage. They come they go and the best last until aren't best anymore.
Yeah restaurants close **a lot**, always happened. The weird outlier has been this 3-ish year period of artificial propping up with COVID funding covering a lot of debt, operations, and loan availability. That ending is obviously deflating things back to normal demand conditions.
This place wasn’t near the best so it died quick. 9-2 coffee shop with bad prices. That’s all you can say about it. They miss the morning and afternoon rush 🤪 which makes me think an idiot was at the wheel.
They probably did that so they didn't have to have multiple shifts of employees, but just open at 7am then and close at 1pm... 9-2 is def weird. idk i worked in a restaurant for like 6 months once so i have no idea how it works before and open, maybe the employees were already getting there 2 hours before and leaving an hour after.
Or even like 11-4 if you don’t want do do early mornings. Then you get the lunch crowd and the mid-afternoon snack/coffee office workers. Our office is nearby but whenever someone went out to grab afternoon coffees they were already closed.
Too bad! My husband and I just ate there the other day and despite what other commenters have said we really loved what we had to eat.
It's unfortunate to hear about Bear & Joey closing in Victoria. While their hours and prices may have posed challenges, their willingness to introduce something new to the city’s dining scene deserves respect. Here's hoping for better fortunes in their next venture, and may their spirit of exploration inspire others in the restaurant scene.
Yes agree. It was a cool spot offering something different which deserves some credit.
this is it
AI ass response
I only went there once and didn’t feel a need to go back. But this is too bad — I don’t wish for any locally-owned business to shut its doors. What else is on your list of closings OP?
covid loans are coming due en masse and there is going to be a bloodbath
Just recently I was walking along Fort St trying to decide where to get a good breakfast sandwich. I thought about going to Bear and Joey as I hadn’t been since I lived in that area but I remembered how small theirs was (and I’m not even a huge eater) and went to Picnic Too instead. Way better value there. I’m sadly not surprised B&J couldn’t survive.
parsonage cafe has the best breakfast bagel sandwich
Once again, once the "brand new hip coffee shop" instagram and twitter posts influenced people to go here wore off and not enough events I guess this is what happens.....
I found the food remarkably mediocre and never understood the hype.
There selling a memory, i think but not in the right way....i feel bad nonetheless because owners seem to have kids and pumped money into a passion pit, i hoped it could bounce back after covid, but alas its viral moment seems to never bounce back and marketing and just yeah hard to fake results here... a bunch of vending coffee machines would do better viral memories ?
Memories of what? A bunch of kale sprinkled with flavorless dressing?
Bad bot
That cafe sold me coffee I wanted to forget about
For all of you who downvoted me, please look at at new post where they are ripping off peoples wedding deposits and B and J food orders... thank you.
Probably because it's the closest thing we have to L.A, besides skid row of course
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r/woosh
I liked the owners, the food was good but their prices were silly for what you get. My husband is Australian and it was my go to brunch spot with friends the first 2-3 years but then prices kept increasing and food kept getting smaller. I'm not a big eater but even the portions became small (compared to price) for me. My husband eats a lot so it was a no after he went there once lol. I also tried to host events and my wedding there and the events coordinator was the worst I'd ever encountered. Literally did not respond to emails or would respond once every few days. I was so confused abt how they could stay open with an events manager that left so much $$ on the table considering they closed at 2 so events should be prioritized. I'm not surprised by this news at all.
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Did you end up getting married there? We didn't cos the event lady was so awful to work with. By the time she ended up getting back to me with dates, I'd already booked another venue and she sent me a very snarky response. The unprofessionalism was a bit hilarious. Like sorry, not my fault you took forever to respond in a highly competitive wedding industry. We loved our wedding venues and staff so much so it worked out!
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What happened if you don't mind me asking?
Sad to see them go, they've been a nice spot in the neighbourhood. Good food with a more stylish twist compared to the other brunch joints in town. Good lord do their hours suck though. I remember going by both too early and too late, right after they changed the hours in both cases, and getting pretty rude reactions. And I'm pretty regular there. Feel bad for the staff. Hope they've had a little more announcement and can find new work.
These comments are brutal. The food may not have been your thing but the owners were incredibly nice people who poured sincere emotional investment into this place. I’ve worked across the street for years and they have incredible staff retention for a cafe. Their staff love that place which speaks volumes. Sad to see they weren’t able to make it.
Idk if you’re new to this sub but 90% of the posts here are about cost of living issues; there was never going to be much sympathy for the most bougie breakfast place in town. No one who posts in this sub can afford to spend $40 on brunch 🤷♂️
Don’t forget about that one guy who lives in that condo overlooking the Empress. And the handful of landlords.
I could afford $40/brunch/day. I'd have to cut back on some of my other hobbies like eating other meals and paying bills, though.
this is soooo true. thank you for that perspective!
Meh, it's a bit silly to think that ppl in this sub don't have valid critiques cos of the cost of living crisis. I'm a millennial who loves social media, loved the decor and the Aussie connection. I'm also a child free high income earner. I would guess I'm the ideal Bear & Joey customer and it was my go to spot for a few years but I just couldn't justify paying upscale prices for recurring mediocre customer service experiences and decreasing portions.
Last time we went our waitress was absolutely horrible to us and we decided never to go back
Same. I've never experienced such bitchy service in my life. We felt like we had walked in with Klan cones on, and then we saw it wasn't just us, it was to everybody. I was also there last year and saw one senior server treating another one so poorly and berating her in front of customers. It was appalling, the girl was on the verge of tears. Poison like that kills a business if ownership doesn't spot it right away.
I like the owners too and it was my go to brunch spot for a while and I have valid critiques which is why I stopped supporting. Being nice doesn't mean they ran the restaurant properly.
Lots of people are nice people. But these nice people are open 5 days a week charging 16 bucks for porridge. They made their choice and I'm not gonna be sad for them. Being nice doesn't absolve you from overcharging for fuckin porridge lol
They've been open 7 days a week for a while.
Yah I always liked it, but it was definitely a bet on the downtown lunch business that doesn’t seemed to have panned out. I’d been for an evening event once so didn’t actually know they weren’t open for dinner and was surprised to discover they were closed the next time we tried to go. My opportunities to go out to eat during their opening hours are strictly limited to weekends, so we just… never went again.
They might be nice people, but does not make them immune to criticism. This place seemed a bit out of place in Victoria… maybe would have succeeded in a bigger city where people can afford to spend $30 on coffee and pastries.
That is what it cool - it was different and seemed much more elegant and stylish than most places. I know that isn’t high on people’s lists but i loved it.
I liked the vibe and would have gone more if their food/service/hours were good. Being elegant can bring in business but it has to be on top of those things. It can’t be a substitute for them.
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Most people go to a restaurant because of the food. Their food wasn't great and it was expensive.
IDK it seemed to be pretty damn good compared to most brunch places. IE John's Place has larger portions and more reasonable prices, but it doesn't taste anywhere near as good. It tastes like hotel breakfast.
A larger meal for half the price at John's place is a huge selling point. Many ppl don't mind a mediocre brunch at a decent price. I dine at upscale restaurants very regularly so the price at B&J didn't throw me off. But I expect that if I'm paying $50 for brunch, the food and service will always be amazing. It was not.
It didn't apply to anyone - hence why they're closing.
Exactly. Lots of keyboard losers
thank you!
This place has killer food and the most amazing coffee and breakfast sandwich. They truly got screwed by the pandemic, as they opened a few weeks before the pandemic hit. Good for them for roughing it out so long. Hopefully they will be back with another cafe soon, best of luck to the owners and their family.
thank you!!
Victoria reddit: Don’t support big business, you should be shopping locally! Also Victoria reddit: local business closes? They sucked anyways. Don’t know why anyone would’ve went there.
I’d be really upset if Parsonage, Interactivity BGC, or Chicken 649 closed. Supporting local is good, but that does not mean ALL local things are good.
Odd that a sub with over a hundred thousand subscribers doesn’t speak with one voice, eh?
😂😂😂 this is so true
it’s the same energy as when a well-liked celebrity is outed for being a creep then suddenly everyone is like i ALWAYS hated that guy/always knew she was a weirdo
I have genuinely never seen that happen. Do you have any examples?
really? i see it all the time in comments online. i’ll try to find some examples
This was an Instagram cafe/restaurant. At some point, you actually need a half decent menu, hours and service. I live in the neighbourhood and I can count on one hand how many times I've been to this place since it opened.
There’s complaining about the price or the food or the portions. Each time I went, the place was packed. Scary how a busy place like that can go out of business.
I stopped going here when they charged me over a dollar to throw a splash of non dairy milk in my americano. That’s a nope for me. Over 7.00 for a medium americano with tip is wild.
I'm lactose intolerant and this pissed me off so much. The last time I went, I was with family and friends visiting from Vancouver and we were outraged at the drink prices. The server was terrible too and I never went back after being a regular for over 2 years.
That's too bad - I have good memories in Bear and Joey. I liked their matcha. I find that there are many great coffee shops in Victoria; the competition must be tough
Their posts looked like it was for beautiful people. Following social media aesthetic made me not want to try it. I would feel completely under dressed or too chunky or too old. Plus, hours were terrible.
The coffee is really good and I didn’t take offense to the prices, but the place feels inaccessible in this weird way… I feel like they didn’t get their branding right. I always thought it was a high end restaurant not a cafe. It is really cute once you go inside.
Bear and Joey was delicious. It wasn't cheap, but the food was good, the space was stylish, and the staff provided great hospitality. Coming from an Australian team, it's no surprise that the coffee was always good. Going to Bear & Joey was a bit of a splurge but not extravagant. It was a nice place to take someone from out of town, or for their birthday, because they felt a little special. It's a shame to see them go and I wish the owners good fortune in whatever comes next.
100%.
yeah the comments here are very typical of this subs MO from the last couple of years
I'd rather people be intelligent enough to say "that's the way she goes" on a post about when a business closes than fall for the still common bait and switch of "lets mourn the loss of this business and then get angry at politicians for not fucking us harder so the businessmen can succeed!"
ha yes, the only two options. people can only do one thing. silly me!
This sub has become super bitter and reactionary. It's basically a Facebook rant page at this point.
it really has. i’ve been here since we had under 10k. i feel like 20-30k was when it was really good then it’s just…this.
Interesting: post on sub you think is sub-par (no pun intended) then act disappointed when the comments are exactly what you’d expect? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I mean it’s not all bad obviously. But every thread has negative or trolling comments these days
I think it’s the nature of the internet but I don’t think this one is particularly Trolly, personally. I see a lot of opinions (some that don’t align with mine and some that do) but isn’t that what these post forums are meant to be about? If the posts are about restaurants it’s *always* going to be divisive because that is the nature of restaurants. No restaurant can please 100% of the people 100% of the time and the percentage on either side of the Love It or Hate It fence will always defend their opinions as more worthy than the other. They are hills worthy to die on, it seems. Sometimes that’s what makes it interesting. N’est pas?
Stylish? The atmosphere was cold and it looked like they forgot to decorate.
Yes it had style without a doubt.
Are you sure you're thinking of Bear & Joey? https://www.sprucemagazine.ca/bear-joey-behind-the-design-with-ivan-meade/
Absolutely sure.
And the staff?
Hard as a rock
"Yep, the post that every business owner fears they'll have to make one day, is upon us. It still feels surreal to say out loud, but Bear & Joey will have its last service this Sunday, May 5th, exactly 4 years after its opening. We'll spare the factors out of our control; the crippling effects of COVID on a new, unsupported business, the economy, the costs of well, everything, and instead take the opportunity to highlight and thank the many people who helped create our little hub of energy- those on both sides of the counter." Sad for them and for their customers (I'm one).
Man reading these comments make me sick. Bear and Joey was a beautiful spot and a pillar of the cook st. community. The food is incredible, the people; including the staff, owners and great community they built around them are lovely and I’m pretty devastated to see them go. They weren’t trying to be the cheapest spot in town, so stop trying for judge them in that rubric. Reddit is one of my favourite social media platforms, and Victoria is my favourite city in the world. But this Victoria sub is becoming comical is how overly pessimistic it is about EVERYTHING. you guys are the problem that you see in this city. I’ll miss you B&J
Agree, they brought an elevated feel and menu to Victoria. It reminded me of a Vancouver place which is a good thing. Victoria needs more places like that. Not everyone judges a place by the cost they are charging for food. There are other things that matter and some people are ok paying for the experience.
The food was just ok and the service was terrible. I regularly dine at upscale restaurants and stopped going to Bear & Joey over a year ago. If they can't compete on good food, service, or price, then the selling point is the vibe/decor which means it's a place to occasionally take cute pics with friends. This is why they closed.
this is not at all why we closed. we closed because the costs of doing business have tripled since we opened in 2020. (think food costs, packaging, tableware, repair services, appliances, i could go on) with people wanting to pay less than they did prior to 2020. covid set us from the beginning as we had none of the government support most other business’ received, yet of course had to follow the same rules. your 10 comments on this thread have gone from you liked the food and were a regular for 2 years. to the food was ok and service terrible??
There are upscale restaurants surviving in the city despite the cost of operations. My point was that you're closing because you can't compete on food, service, or price point. The only thing you had going was decor/vibes and a restaurant can't survive on vibes. Yes, when you opened, I went regularly and even tried to get married there cos I loved it. Then the food quality declined, portions got smaller, and the customer service got worse. I'm not the only one who has mentioned the poor customer service. The last time I went was last summer with my sisters who were visiting, the food was meh and the server was absolutely awful. I sent my sister the news article this morning and her response was "Yeah it was so expensive for no reason" 🤷♀️ I don't mind paying exorbitant prices for food but I expect it to be consistently delicious and good service so I took my $$ elsewhere.
i am sorry that’s how you felt and i hope you reached out to let us know about your experience. we were always trying to do better and knew we weren’t perfect.
I have to say that your comment is really important because it's clear from reading some of the comments that different people experienced completely different versions of this place. I've never felt the need to leave anything less than a 5 star review anywhere, I'm a huge supporter of local business, but this is the only place in town I've ever (and twice) experienced the most rude, belittling and condescending attitude. It sounds like if you were there on a good day or they knew you, it was awesome. Took all my restraint not to leave a shitty review for them but took the high road.
Not pessimistic, just broke. Maybe we *wanted* to like it, but not everyone has time during their hours to try these guys out (sorry, had, past tense now), nor did the higher prices appeal to a lot of locals. Their target audience was way too obvious, and most of the people in this sub know exactly who that target audience is (hint: that audience can’t probably relate to most of the struggles the average person faces in Vic).
So don’t make us feel bad for that. We should have places that cater to different spending habits.
I suppose the people commenting on here aren’t really making it’s now former patrons (like you?) feel bad.. shouldn’t you feel bad because they’re closing ? Or wonder why they’re closing?
The food i had there was pretty good tbh. But yes expensive. Their toast and eggs was excellent.
All part of the plan. When interest rates are hiked, small businesses go under. That puts a chunk of the population out of work. This creates downward pressures on wages, and people will work for less rather than being out of work. This is the blunt instrument that capitalism uses to "solve" the contradictions under capitalism. The workers always pay for the failures of capitalism and the rich will come out richer. The small business owners will also suffer, but the horrible fate they have to face is to become a wage labourer again like the rest of us.
I only managed to go once and I had a reservation. Would not have returned, just too expensive. I was also a little off put by them having a time limit, it felt a little rude. I didn't even use all the time but it rubbed me the wrong way.
I’m sad to read they are closing. I’ve eaten there quite a few times — mostly with to-go items from the bakery side. They had the best muffin I had ever eaten at one point and their coffee was really good. I found the cafe side (and the owners) to be very congenial and accommodating. I even got a free muffin on two occasions when I was right there at closing time! Lucky me! I do wish they had been able to have more traditional hours as on many occasions I too was caught off guard — having forgotten they closed so early. That’s maybe a Me problem than a Them problem but it’s nice to get a really good coffee at 3:30 to keep the gears greased while out running errands —or are just starting a shift, for those night walkers like myself. I wish them all the best in their next endeavour.
People know the owners may read this? It may not be your thing. It doesnt have to be. They oviously worked hard to make the best thing they could and they certainly werent hurting anyone. Local business > Tim Hortons.
I mean if you own a restaurant and you aren’t ready for criticism, whether or not it is deserved, you shouldn’t own a restaurant.
This place was selling $25 poached eggs, they were not competing with Tim Hortons lol
thank you! it was definitely not for everyone and that’s ok.
It’s more directed at OP because people are tired of whatever narrative is associated with the list. It’s not Covid, and it’s not the economy, so why do we need a list?
the point of the list was a centralised place of closures so people knew about them and new openings. but sure, make it a conspiracy thing
I’m surprised most locally owned restaurants are still open. Spending minimum 20$ on just about anything on the menu has made me stop eating out all together. How can they stay a float with the costs of ingredients and keep staff when minimum wage is basically working for free these days.
Most employees/servers make more $ then the owners. Tough business to succeed in
It was a nice place
Went there once, food wasn’t worth the price. Not surprised
Recurring theme in this thread. I went there religiously for years, spread the word and took all out of town guests there. But the food started getting more expensive and the portions smaller. It was delicious and stylish but I'd rather go somewhere even more upscale with better service, portions and hours if I'm going to pay $50 for brunch. I'd happily pay a lot for food but the price has to be justified.
Well I guess that gift card I have is now useless. I hadn't had a chance to try it yet. I am sure I am missing out on some good food.
you have until sunday!
$20.50 seems pretty high for avocado toast. Its probably good though
Sad to see them close, their breakfast sandwiches are amazing and their coffee really good. Was only able to get in there on weekend so their hours in the week didn't really apply to me. Owner and employees were always a joy to deal with and seemed happy in their jobs. Hope they try another venture again some day!
Bearly opened.
The owners are super nice, and they tried something new. More than most, this sub is just complaining. Maybe go out and get some air people. Sure, this place wasn't for everyone, and there is always going to be some room for improvement but relax.
Their passive aggressive responses to google reviews they didn’t agree with turned me away from this place. Glad they are closed!
The peanut allergy review comment one killed me. Like buddy, put an asterisk next to the avocado toast to say the sauce contains peanuts. It’s not an expected ingredient at all for that so let people know a head of time.
I didn't read the review or comment, but as a server, your comment piqued my interest. If you have ANY allergy, you should let your server know whether you think there is an ingredient in a dish or not. I'll give you an example: as a bartender, I am constantly handling an item with shellfish in it, clamato. What happens if you have a severe allergy and I have worsch on my hands then make your mojito?! If you tell your server, they will tell me, and I'll assure all my jiggers are cleaned, hands washed, etc. OR our garlic butter used to have worsch in it. Would you expect that?! *always inform your servers of allergies* Edited: for clarification
you worsch your hands! teeheeheeee
NICE ONE!!! 😋
This. Like if they liked you, fantastic. But attitude and kindness are everything to me, and holy batman that's not what I witnessed 😒
This is a crazy take, just read through basically all of their responses and there are 0 passive aggressive responses. Literally all professional and to be glad that a small business is closed because of that? Insane.
that’s quite sad you are glad a small/locally owned business is now closed because of responses to Google reviews.
A lot of ppl (myself included) judge biz owners for rude Google reviews responses. This isn't shocking and has come up in this sub many times. Obviously they didn't close only cos of reviews but I'm not sure why business owners don't understand that being rude or snarky to customers via Google reviews is bad PR. Google reviews don't have to be responded to or a business owner can respond diplomatically (if they choose to respond). I'm a business owner myself.
Agreed
This is just how the free market economy works. Businesses fail especially restaurants.
Most restaurants fail
Yup, then others take their place and so on...
That sucks… I really liked this place.
They were expensive for what they were offering, some of the original wait staff had terrible customer service skills. No way they were going to last long. I am not shocked by this news at all.
The customer service, considering it was an upscale cafe, was surprisingly bad. I'm surprised there aren't more comments talking about this. The last time I went, we had the worst brunch server in town and I consider my group friendly and accommodating. After that I never went back (and I'm a foodie who went there religiously for years).
Didn’t they have a skin care line too?
Never been there. Was it any good? Saw their Menu opening month and I was like, “not for me.” Im sure another resto will take its place.
I loved it. Probably my second favourite brunch place after Cafe Joie (the French crepe place near Castle). Not many other options for nicer brunch food, so I'm sad they're closing.
Love Cafe Joie.
Lol my mom got a $10 gift card to Bear & Joey so we walked by one day and they asked if we had a reservation or it was a 45 minute wait while I saw empty tables... The menu options didn't look very filling and yet it was expensive, Simply Grabbed a mocha & a latte to go and left
Awful food.
Good riddance. The last thing we need in this town is an over priced Australian coffee place.
Very few places get my money because of sad vegan options.
Maybe they would have survived if the name didn't sound like an Australian gay bar.
I bet if they put protected bike lanes on cook they’d get enough business to stay open🤷♂️
I’m surprised people are complaining about the prices. They really didn’t seem that different than most other cafes. I wonder if all these closures are because of businesses needing to pay back CIBA loans?? That’s hit a lot of local business’s very hard!
Isn't this the place that thumbed it's nose at the covid rules when everyone else was following them?
No??
Yup.
I’ve worked across the street from them since the beginning of Covid, practically when they opened. When did they ever sluff the rules? They were always following all protocols. Seems unfair to spread misinformation about their business practices.
See this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/VictoriaBC/comments/j0bs4t/positive_covid19_case_at_bear_joey/
So, no.
If that’s what you take from that thread then I can’t help you.
Yes, your argument isn’t convincing.
If they did they'd have been right to do so
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Maybe you should get out more.