The owners of Black Bean Café in Gibsons are both excited for what the future holds in their new location at Molly’s Reach in Gibsons, and determined to continue bringing the best coffee and pastries to their loyal customers.
“One of the things that we would like to carry over to Molly's is just upping their coffee game and bringing all of our baked goods over, because last year we won the award for best bakery on the Coast,” said David Bristow, who owns the Black Bean with sister Rebecca (Becca) Bristow.
The siblings announced last week, they are taking over the iconic Molly’s Reach location, a restaurant made famous for playing background to many scenes in the still popular CBC TV series, the Beachcombers. The series, which ran for 19 seasons — from October 1972 to December 1990 — chronicled the fictional adventures of Nick Adonidas, a log salvager played by Bruno Gerussi, and his business partner Pat John. Together, they introduced the world to the beauty of the Sunshine Coast and the charm of all-things Gibsons, including Molly’s Reach café.
The Black Bean itself is something of an institution in Gibsons. From 2009 to 2017, it was owned and operated, by the Carters, the couple who created recipes for what have since become known as the café’s "world famous" scones, muffins, soups and sandwiches. It was also during this time, the roasting of organically sourced, arabica beans was perfected and started drawing fans of its own.
In late 2017, ownership passed to Monica and Charles Brisbeau and in 2020, David and Rebecca took it over with a plan to leave anything that was working well alone and make some tweaks where needed.
They initially planned to stay in the same location at the corner of Jacks Lane and Marine Drive, but at the end of 2023, their landlord gave them notice that they’d probably have to vacate by the end of the year. That’s when they started considering Molly’s, which had been sitting empty since 2023.
“We absolutely love the Black Bean as it is and it's such a home for us. But there has been, over the past couple years, a feeling of wanting to do more menu items and expand and kind of do more things, but obviously there's limited space,” said Becca. “So, there was never really a plan in motion to go anywhere, but it was obviously in the back of our heads of to be able to have a bit more space. And then we basically got the shove from the landlord, saying that they weren’t going to renew our lease.”
They reached out to Molly’s owner John Smith, who didn’t immediately respond, but just as the siblings were starting to panic, he got in touch and a deal was made.
“So, we had been eyeing up Molly's, but there's always this thing about being kind of terrified of change. It's a huge responsibility financially and to the community, to move into somewhere like Molly's,” said David. “So, it was one of these things where I'm not sure we would have done it if we hadn't been kind of motivated to do it, but now we have been motivated. We feel like it is the right move.”
David added, the Black Bean has always served as a welcoming hub for staff and the community, so to close it would have been a real blow for everyone. The problem was, there were very few options in lower Gibsons, which offered a view of the ocean and included a dog-friendly patio.
“It's like the epicentre of everything and it's just been obviously sad having it sit and not have people be able to enjoy it,” said Becca. “So, I think there’s so much excitement from the community about just being able to access it again, because I think it's just being really missed.”
As for allowing the famous landmark to continue to be used as a film location, the siblings are just waiting to hear back from the production crew of the TV series Murder in a Small Town, which used the waterfront café for scenes in many episodes.
“We haven't heard 100 per cent if the second season has been confirmed or not,” said Becca. “But they were kind of messaging us just to touch base about the plan. They said that they would let us know when they know about the second season, and we're absolutely up for having them be able to film there.”
As for expanding the menu and operating hours now that they have the space, David and Becca said they want to take their time and not take on too much too soon.
“We are looking to expand to a full-on breakfast, which we don't do right now with hash browns and French fries, and then we’d love to do local beers and local ciders, but we probably won't have a full-on restaurant menu and a bar, like with mixed drinks and everything,” said David. “We won't do that right out of the gate, because I honestly think it would be overwhelming for me and Becca, and we probably wouldn't be able to manage the quality if we did it that way. So, I think we're really trying to blend what the Black Bean is now with Molly's, but I think that we're just going to need a little time to get there.”
Molly’s Reach by Black Bean Café is expected to open before the end of February.
