George's

A 5 minute or so drive from my home, there’s a food bar called George’s.

A local establishment since the 70s, you can order typical hamburger/hotdog fare, or Chinese food—a sensible choice given George and family are Chinese.

(If I’m not mistaken, George himself died many moons ago. The food bar is now run by who I believe is his wife, and his son who’s name I’ve forgotten.)

George’s is devoutly cash only, and looks like the kind of place you’d expect to see in some run-down, long-since abandoned middle American industry town—not nestled in the heart of the quaint, picturesque Comox Valley.

The ordering experience is much like in The Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld:

You walk up to the counter, stoop so you can speak face to face, state your order clearly, firmly, and politely. The most acknowledgement you’ll receive is a nod of the head. Then you step aside to wait. When your food is ready, you’ll be waved at to step back to the window, pay, and take your food.

If you Google “George’s Food Bar”, you’ll see ‘Permanently Closed’ next to a 4.6 rating, dozens of reviews, and a heap of pictures showcasing their food.

(Fun fact: There have also been periods of time where the hours listed were closed most days of the week, but open 12am - 12am on others.)

Thankfully, George’s is definitely NOT closed—I ate there just last week.

This is one of things I love most about George’s: They open when they wish, for as long as they wish, not be controlled by whatever Google claims.

George’s is truly a place run by whimsy. As I like to say…

One does not plan on eating at George’s. One is only lucky enough to happen across George’s when open. The unknown is part of the charm!

I’ve been ordering the Combo Deluxe (cheeseburger with a butterflied hot dog atop the burger patty) with extra cheese for ~15 years now, and the nostalgia is real. I fear the day where I’ll learn George’s is actually closed.

But until then, I’ll continue to count my blessings when I happen to be passing by with cash in hand and see their little ordering window open.

With love from the forest,

~ Alexander Mullan