Raymond Poirier transporting staff to Third Beach. (click photos to enlarge) — Raymond Poirier transporting staff to Third Beach.
*(click photos to enlarge)*

DINE AT THE BEACH
And Support The Concession Stands

What do the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Cecil Hotel, and the Second and Third Beach Concessions have in common?

Raymond Poirier!

Poirier has run the Second and Third Beach Concessions for twenty-two years and ran the English Bay Concession before progress brought its demise. (He previously ran the concessions in Dundarave, Ambleside, and Lynn Canyon.) He also owns the very popular Breaking Bean Coffee Shop at 551 Cardero Street.

Back in the late 1970s, Poirier worked for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet where he did many things including organizing the company’s tours. He served tea to Dame Margot Fonteyn and met Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Poirier later worked with Oscar B. Grubert of the Mother Tucker Food Experience Restaurants, who then partnered with the famous Tommy Lasorda to open the Florida restaurant, Tommy Lasorda’s Ribs and Pasta. Poirier notes that Oscar B. Grubert was the best boss he ever had.

Poirier was the general manager of the Cecil Hotel from 1986 to 1998 when booze-laced business lunches went on forever and stripping was an art form. He tells me the bar was jammed from 11:30 a.m. every Friday. Almost the entire company of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet visited him several times at the Cecil.

You can’t beat this view for outdoor dining!

From the Cecil to Stanley Park is a big jump. Poirier wanted fresh air and a change. The Park Board was afraid he wouldn’t stay! He started on a promise of two years.

The menus at the two concessions are much more than one might expect for simple beachside concessions.

The coffee is organic and specially roasted. Moja Coffee selects single-source beans from around the world and roasts them carefully in a Joper roaster. Read more about Moja coffee here.

The tea selection features eight varieties, including my favorites Earl Grey, Gunpowder Green, and Golden Chai.

The Smashed Lemonade is indeed smashed! The lemons are smashed at 330 pounds of pressure. Delicious and fresh, and you may request added fruit flavors.

Kombucha is on tap!

The ramen is amazing, with the freshly frozen ramen noodles flown in from Japan. There are two soup bases, tonkatsu, and miso, both from Japan. Tonkatsu, the most popular is made from chicken and pork, miso is made from soybeans, rice, and dried fish. The most popular ramen is tonkatsu poured over the noodles with a little added ladle of miso, topped with three melt in your mouth slices of braised pork belly, egg, thin cut green onions, bamboo shoots, and seaweed.

During the summer months the beef burgers are fresh and you can also order vegetarian burgers. They come with potato buns.

Imagine French fries topped with Vij’s butter chicken curry sauce, another delight.

The chalkboard menu is just the beginning!

The hot dogs are famous. One hundred percent beef hotdogs are scored, steamed, and finished on a fire iron grill. Bavarian pork smokies are hardwood smoked and seasoned with black pepper and garlic. Both are served on a brioche bun, flash steamed before serving. All the condiments you desire are included!

The fish is hand-battered on site and delicious fish and chips and fish tacos are offered too.

This summer look for newly added quinoa salad, grilled veggie sandwiches and breakfast!

See the photos of the menus for the entire selection.

A license to sell beer and wine would be an updated and welcome change, but such modern thought is mired in endless Victorian era debate.

Poirier’s staff is an international group of mostly foreign students. Poirier also hires young Francophones studying at UBC for the summer. This program is on hold at the moment. Our MP Hedy Fry has sent Poirier letters of commendation regarding his hiring practices.

If you are looking for employment Poirier is hiring. $16.50 an hour for a variety of jobs. Counter people, cooks, kitchen helpers, and combinations. Contact him at raymondpoirier@gmail.com

Staff meets at the Second Beach Concession and Poirier transports the Third Beach workers in his electric tuk tuk, a beautiful commute.

The hours increase when the summer crowds arrive. Presently the concessions open at noon, summer hours will see the opening at 10:00 a.m.

Poirier would like a glass screen installed at the Second Beach concession. The current overhang protects one from rain and the glass would protect from chilly winds and blowing rain. There are overhead heaters. The result would make the space useable year-round.

Like all restaurateurs, COVID has had negative effects on Poirier’s operations. Last summer’s closing of the Stanley Park parking lots, with absolutely no consultation, was a disaster for all the park restaurateurs. Two summers of canceled park movies and the fireworks competition brought further negative impacts.

Be sure to eat locally and support the hard-hit restaurants in Stanley Park. Second and Third Beach Concessions are affordable and delicious and Poirier and his multicultural crew a delight.

POST SCRIPT

I have written about the healing properties of the park during these COVID times. Have you read about the Japanese philosophy of Forest Bathing? Forest bathing, shinrin-yuko, involves walking in a forest in a mindful manner. One inhales all the scents, natures’ aromatherapy, looks closely at everything, taking in the whole experience. Scientific studies show that forest bathing has very positive effects on our mental and physical well-being.

After very crowded weekends there are many complaints surfacing regarding cyclists, in-line skaters, and boarders on the footpaths from Third Beach to Hornby Street. If you have concerns please share them with the Vancouver Park Board.