INTERVIEW: Bud Kanke On The Sale Of Joe Fortes And 40 Years In The Restaurant Trade
March 1, 2012
Bud Kanke is a legend in Vancouver’s restaurant business. In his 40 year career, he founded 11 restaurants, among them The Cannery, Fish House in Stanley Park, Mulvaneys and the venerable Joe Fortes. In those four decades, the always smartly dressed father of three (and grandfather of six) saw his rooms rake in over half a billion dollars in sales, allowing for 20,000 man years of employment. A graduate of Magee High and UBC (Accounting), he has been active in 20 other businesses ranging from real estate development and gold mining to the manufacture of products for Boeing, General Motors, and the Hi-Tech sector. Bud has received a Lifetime Culinary Achievement Award, has twice been nominated for BC Entrepreneur of the Year, and has been inducted into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame.
In the next 48 hours, a little over a month after his sale of Goldfish in Yaletown, Vancouver’s media outlets will receive a press release announcing his sale of Joe Fortes, Bud’s last remaining restaurant property, to David Aisenstat of The Keg (it will remain as Joe Fortes). The legend is retiring, but the show goes on. We’d like to take this opportunity – on behalf of all our readers – to thank Bud for advancing our restaurat scene along and for setting a high standard of leadership in the trade. We wish him and his wife Dotty all the best. What follows, then, is his last interview as an active restaurateur… Read more
The Legendary “Joe Fortes” Has Joined The Scout Community…
December 4, 2010
Iconic downtown seafood and chop house Joe Fortes is now a proud member supporter of Scout. We will be publishing their news on our front page and hosting a page for them in our list of recommended restaurants to check out. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support of our little website. Click ahead to read on or jump directly to their Scout page here… Read more
Joe Fortes
October 5, 2010
Details
777 Thurlow St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3V5
Telephone: 604-669-1940
Web: www.joefortes.ca
Twitter: @JoeFortesVan | Facebook
Hours
Lunch: 11 a.m. daily
Happy Hour: 4 p.m. daily
Dinner: 5 p.m. daily
Brunch: 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday
Gallery
Our Team
Scott Pratico, Executive Chef and Partner
Scott Garrett, General Manager
Frenchy Gagne, Maitre’d and Partner
Wendy McMichael, Beverage Manager
About The Business
Visit Joe Fortes Vancouver seafood restaurant and you are welcomed into an environment whose vibrant sights and sounds are as enticing as the menu is.
The main dining room is anchored by a soaring horseshoe oyster bar. This Grand Room boasts large, cozy booths, perfect for hosting high-powered lunch or dinner meetings, as well as intimate dinner dates. From the mezzanine, diners enjoy a bird’s eye view of the action and live musical entertainment below.
The mahogany-walled wine room offers guests a unique and discreet setting in which to enjoy an intimate lunch, or a private corporate celebration.
The more casual side of Joe’s is experienced in the bistro and bar where locals and out-of-towners alike mingle, soak up the live music and keep their eyes open for visiting celebrities.
For a breath of fresh air, guests can step up to Vancouver’s most desirable roof garden and into an urban oasis featuring a living green wall, cozy outdoor fireplace and bustling horseshoe bar. No wonder Joe Fortes is the best seafood restaurant in Vancouver.
Accolades and Reviews
Georgia Straight | Golden Plate Awards for Best Restaurant to “Seal the Deal” Place – Best Fish/Shellfish, Best Seafood, Best Restaurant Service, Best Restaurant Patio (2010)
Wine Spectator Magazine | Best of Award of Excellence 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards 2009 | Premier Crew Award, Maitre ‘d, Frenchy Gagne
Vancouver Playhouse International Wine | Judges Choice and People’s Choice best appetizer – Fetzer Great Beginnings, Appetizer Challenge 2009
“I couldn’t resist a meal at Joe Fortes in Vancouver, a leading seafood restaurant with an excellent selection of British Columbian wines.” – Eric Asimov, New York Times
“Joe Fortes’s landscaped rooftop patio is an oasis of calm that’s mostly populated by escapees from nearby corporate towers. The ties come off and a glass of wine or two later, no one’s in a hurry to get back to the grind. Thanks to the roof’s own bar and fired-up grill, sustenance is always near at hand.” – Judith Lane, Georgia Straight
