With the economy teetering on the total tank, opening a 30’s style, 75-seat lunch counter diner ain’t such a bad idea. Say hello to Deacon’s Corner, an under construction, 7am to 3pm, cheap and cheerful greasy spoon from the folks who gave us Powell St.’s Cobre. Opening day is slated for a little over a week away.

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Located at 101 Main at Alexander across the street from the Alibi Room and just two blocks east of a resurgent Gastown’s gritty glitz, the joint will sling the stuff of diner legend: corned beef hash; biscuits and gravy; meatloaf; and I assume a variety of other wholesome bits of chow. It’s food we might be needing to get used if things get bad. Really, if the markets totally implode (and I mean more than they already have and Vancouver is plunged into a recession worse than the early 80’s), this stuff will be like cake. Either way, I’m looking forward to the corned beef hash, and no matter what the next six months bring, the nearby cop shop will likely provide them with lots of trade. It’s always wise to saddle up to a customer base that won’t be seeing massive layoffs any time soon.

What’s with the name? Deacon’s Corner was the name of an old gas station near owner Tyson Reimer’s childhood hood outside Winnipeg. “We aren’t doing anything modern,” he told me by phone tonight. “No wraps. No breakfast burritos. We want to stay true to the classic diner.”