In a town that’s no stranger to hybrid business concepts, Jammer Cafe Motors is something completely different. When Ryan Valade and his partners open up at 350 West 8th Avenue this Fall, expect to see a full-service 55 seat eatery and bar combined with a motorcycle community workshop, coffee shop and microbrewery tasting room.

It’s got a long way to go before it opens, but as Ryan explained the idea of Jammer to me in the messy hive of its construction last week, I got it.

Or at least I think I did.

Walking along the long bar and kitchen opposite what will eventually house the glassed-in workshop, I could easily imagine people sipping espressos and drinking beers, some of them with the backs to the bar, eyeballing DIY bikers tooling old Tritons and Moto Guzzis under custom lights with a full complement of specialty tools at their disposal.

Ryan puts it thusly: “We are creating a theatre to the lifestyle and craft of motorcycle building, restoration and repairs — one that everyone can be a part of, or simply a spectator.”

Though his work of late has been in hi-tech, Ryan actually started out in the restaurant business, having worked as a dishwasher and line cook for years. Cook life helped pay for his business degree from McGill, and to keep him afloat when he couldn’t land a gig at EA in Vancouver.

His passion is motorcycles. Hence the combo concept, which will include the Vancouver tasting room of Kamloops’ Red Collar Brewing Co. and a coffee program set up by Pallet Coffee Roasters. He was still awaiting his liquor licence on my recent walkthrough, but I’m told the bar will offer some 10 taps (beer, cider, wine) come opening day.

First time executive chef Dave Martin (a former roommate of Ryan’s) counts experience at heavyweights like Hawksworth and Il Giardino on his resume, so I expect the food program will have some effort behind it. I don’t know much about the menus yet beyond them cleaving somewhat to an Eastern Canada theme, with weekend brunches being a thing.

Again, it’s early days yet. We’ll have more on it as its launch nears (they’re aiming to have the 5,400 sqft facility open by the first week of September). In the meantime, take a look at what I saw on my last pass in the gallery below:

Jammer Cafe

Neighbourhood: West Side

350 West 8th Ave.