Iconic burrito spot responds to Broadway blues with one of Vancouver's best deals
Businesses in and around the Broadway corridor are feeling stressed in the wake of a four-month closure that will significantly impact access to the area, and that includes one of the most iconic burrito joints in Vancouver, Budgies.
The word iconic is thrown a lot around in headlines (yes, we’re guilty), but it’s a more than fitting term for Budgies, operating since 2005.
Budgies Burritos has been a Mount Pleasant mainstay for two decades, offering vegetarian and vegan Tex-Mex offerings like burritos (obviously), tacos, nachos and more.
In response to the four-month closure that began Monday, Jan. 26, which could have a considerable impact on business,Ā they’re actually going to start giving customers one of the best burrito deals in the city, if not the best.
Every Monday, all burritos are $10, and you can get a beer for $3. That includes PBR, “the old faithful,” according to the Budgies Manager Michelle Hanley.
“When I first started, it was incredibly busy. It was wild. There was a line out the door a lot of the time,” Hanley told Daily Hive. They used to be open till midnight at one point.
“It was really fun,” Hanley recalled.
Amir Ali/Daily Hive
Hanley has worked at Budgies for over ten years and has seen the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood change quite a bit in that time, seeing places like The Foundation come and go, which they pay homage to on their menu with the “Like Foundation Nachos.”
Like many food establishments, Budgies has seen a decline ever since COVID. Hanley said that they see a bit of a spike in business in the summertime, but construction on Broadway hasn’t helped the Vancouver spot sustain much momentum, and Hanley thinks it has led to a decline in business.
‘We’ve had to try a lot of new things, like doing a lot more delivery apps and things like that,” she said.
Amir Ali/Daily Hive
In response to a question about the impacts of the Broadway closure, Hanley said that it “seems like a nightmare so far” and that it feels “really chaotic” in the area.
“My main concern is pedestrian safety. There’s a crosswalk right outside of Budgies, and there are no lights. No one ever sees it.”
The crosswalk in question. (Google Maps)
Daily Hive was in the area during Tuesday rush hour, the second day of the closure, and to say that traffic was a mess is an understatement.
Hanley is worried things will get worse as traffic is diverted down Kingsway.
“I’m deeply concerned about pedestrians’ well-being.”
Logistically, it might make more sense to remove the crosswalk entirely, as there are two lighted crosswalks between which this busy pedestrian area is sandwiched.
Hanley says she’s been advocating for safety around this area for years to no avail, aside from the lines being repainted recently.
What could help Vancouver businesses during the Broadway closure?
Amir Ali/Daily Hive
The Mount Pleasant BIA recently shared an update following a meeting with B.C. Transportation and Transit Minister Mike Farnworth about the Broadway closure.
The Jan. 27 meeting provided an opportunity for businesses to raise their concerns directly and to renew calls for urgent financial relief.
Hanley says financial relief would be welcome.
“Anything we can get. It’s been a really rough time for us financially,” she said, adding that Budgies’ neighbouring businesses could also use the support.
The new Monday deal is just one attempt at trying to reinvigorate the business.
“We’ve got to try to get the word out that we’re still here. People come in all the time, they’re like, ‘I can’t believe they’re still here.”
She added that everyone’s looking for a deal these days, and looking at menus around the city, $10 for a burrito is hard, if not impossible, to beat.
“We don’t skimp on the burritos. It’s a big burrito.”
If you haven’t had that chilli oil, what are you doing with your life? (Budgies Burritos)
Also, it’s one burrito per customer with maybe a tiny bit of wiggle room.
Another way Budgies is trying to keep customers coming back to its only Vancouver spot is with a new loyalty card, so that you get one free burrito with the purchase of every 10 burritos.
“I love my regular customers. Anything we can do to give back to them. We wouldn’t be here without them, and we want to stick around for as long as possible, hopefully forever.”
Hanley says they’re trying to bring back the nostalgia of the old Mount Pleasant, hence the menu homage to The Foundation.
In case you’re curious, the Vancouver Burrito spot’s most popular burrito is the Johnny-O, which comes with jalapenos, guacamole, chipotle sour cream, rice, beans, cheese, salsa, and green cabbage.
Hanley’s parting words were a plea to the community to come to the neighbourhood, ideally by walking or cycling.
“We’re still here, and we’re trying to make it through the construction and get to the other side.”