Real Jerk finds its new home
Owners to have location open by mid- to late-August
There’s a new Caribbean restaurant coming to Queen Street E. and you can rest assured it’s authentic.
The Real Jerk will be moving five minutes down the road to 625 Queen St. E after 24 years at Queen and Broadview Avenue.
The restaurant was forced to move after Buckingham Properties purchased the building and ordered it to vacate by Jan. 31, 2011. A court injunction granted them an additional year.
Restaurant owner Ed Pottinger said he decided to stay in the area after he realized most of the place’s support came from the neighbourhood.
“About 85 percent of the people who did sign [our petition] came from the area,” Pottinger said. “So to move to the west end or to the north would be somewhat of a betrayal.”
The new location will be the ground floor of a condominium building. Pottinger says everything was irie at first sight.
“We saw about a dozen locations after this one, and we kept coming back here,” he said. “It’s a newer, fresher place, and we’re building in so we’ll be able to bring a bit of the old jerk to the new (location).”
Among the features that attracted Pottinger were high ceilings, the shape of the interior and the view.
But, most of all, the new restaurant will have a patio.
“We’re really excited to make a Caribbean patio,” Pottinger said. “We’ll be doing our barbecue stuff probably right on the patio, if we’re allowed.”
Returning customers can expect the original menu with some new additions. There will also be more emphasis on the bar.
But what about the mural, that for many, was the most memorable part of The Real Jerk?
Pottinger confirmed their well-known sunny mural would be making a return in some shape or form. He’s still in contact with the artists who painted the original.
He’s hoping to open the new location by mid-to late-August, he said.
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