on bringing new flavours as well as the classics, we cook everything to order using freshly-prepared ingredients.” Locally, Douglas College students were able to satisfy their burger cravings for almost five years at the Wally’s Burgers River Market location, before it closed back in December 2016. Another restaurant that has been around even longer than Wally’s Burgers is the Ovaltine Café, located at 251 East Hastings Street. It was established in 1942 and owned and operated by Bill and Violet Wong. Today, Grace Chen and her daughter, Rachel, are the current owners and, after taking over the restaurant, celebrated their grand re-opening back in April 2015. They both have a strong connection to the Downtown Eastside community where the restaurant is located. “We came to the opportunity when the previous owner was retiring ... he was a good family friend,” Rachel Chen said in an interview with the Other Press. “Also, we have grown attached to the DTES neighbourhood. When we first came to Canada, we owned the coffee shop, which was part of Save-on-Meats for over 10 years, and that was our main source of income as a new immigrant.” Chen said the appeal of the Ovaltine Café is its simplicity and architecture that gives the restaurant its unique character. “| think the biggest appeal is the vibe and the old feel you get when you come into a place like ours.” The café features wooden structures, old-style booths, movie posters, and a prominent bright pink-and-green neon sign, which shines brightly above the outside of the restaurant. “Everything can be dated back to 1942 when we first opened,” Chen said. “And when we try to do any renovations, we try to stick to what we have and just make it newer, but not replace the history behind it. Like when we first took over, a young man came in to ask if he [could] take some photos. After we chatted for a bit, | found out his great grandfather is the one who handmade the booth and tables [that] we still use today. And he just wanted to keep that part of his great grandfather alive and in his memory. So, | think people like to come to old places like the Ovaltine to relive and rediscover those older times where everything was much slower, simpler, and homelier.” Chen said the most popular food items at Ovaltine Café that customers usually order range from their blueberry pancakes to pork cutlets to homemade pies. “And if | have to pick a popular item I'd have to say our all-day breakfast, fish and chips and our burgers,” Chen said. Many classic burger joints and diners from the 1950s and 1960s are now long gone. But for the few that remain today, they are special for those who still remember and experienced those great places from Vancouver's past. Gord Bemister hopes to keep Wally’s Burgers opened as long as possible and as long as customers keep returning to Wally’s, the smell of juicy burgers, onions, and hot dogs will continue to emanate from their East 49th Avenue location. “For the die-hard Wally’s customers, we hope that first bite whisks them back to the good old days back on Kingsway and brings them a bite of the past,” Bemister said. “For the new customers, we hope it gives them a taste that they haven't experienced before. There is nothing we love more than to see both our regular customers and new customers return to get their Wally’s fix.”