A well-known and well-loved Vancouver restaurant closed its doors for good after offering its final service yesterday evening (June 18).

Kitsilano's Trafalgars Bistro (2603 West 16^th Avenue) will no longer serve its signature French dishes with a creative twist. The neighbourhood food establishment had been in business for nearly 20 years before ending its run.

“We have had the most loyal customers,” Stephen Greenham, co-owner of Trafalgars Bistro, told the Straight in a phone interview. “We are very attached to our customers and them to us.”

Greenham recounts all of the great memories that he’s shared with his partner Lorne Tyczenski, his team, and guests at his Kitsilano eatery. This included everything from christening parties to weddings, engagements to receptions, milestone birthdays to graduations, and even wakes.

“It’s been a very incredible relationship with our customers, and that was the very difficult part of making the decision that we did,” said Greenham. “It was just time for Lorne and I to not work so hard anymore.”

The duo sent out an email statement to customers and media on the closure of their restaurant:

“Well, here we are. We have now finished our last service at Trafalgars Bistro. To say that this is an emotional day is certainly an understatement. Since we announced our closing, the outpouring of support from you has been overwhelming. We have enjoyed reliving all of your memories; from first dates to weddings, from baby showers to graduations, from new beginnings to final closures. This place was never just 'a restaurant' to us, and we now see how many of you felt the very same way. To you all, we send every ounce of gratitude that we can. Thank you.”

Trafalgars sister business, pastry and dessert shop Sweet Obsession (2611 West 16^th Avenue) will continue to operate.

“There will be some gradual changes at Sweet Obsession,” added Greenham. “We’re going to be paying more attention to Sweet Obsession now that we have spare time.”

For those who want a bit of memorabilia from the long-time food spot, a liquidation sale will take place this Friday and Saturday (June 23 and 24) from 11 to 3 p.m. at Trafalgars. Items such as patio sets, glassware, planters, and more will be on offer. The closed restaurant’s larger items will be auctioned off at a later date.