Bow & Stern marks new chapter as Burnaby outpost turns one

This story was also published in our sister publication, the Georgia Straight.

For Jordan Smith, restaurants aren’t just a career—they’re practically a birthright. His earliest memories trace back to Kamloops, where his father Jon ran a fish-and-chip shop for three decades. “I grew up in a restaurant,” the younger Smith says. “My dad had a place for 30 years, and I started working there when I was young. A couple years after he sold it, I called him up and said, ‘Hey, let’s partner up. I’ve got an idea.’”

That idea was simple but sturdy: keep Jon’s beloved fish and chips recipe, add oysters and craft beer, and see if Fraser Valley diners would bite. They did. Bow & Stern Abbotsford opened in 2014 with furniture sourced from Craigslist and chairs sanded by hand. Five years later, Chilliwack followed—built in a century-old theatre in what would become the city’s District 1881 cultural hub. “We were one of the first to open there,” Smith remembers. “The building still had the original tin ceiling tiles. We saved them and lined the bar with them.”

Both spots thrived. Chilliwack’s launch was “gangbusters,” Smith says—lineups every night for three months straight. Abbotsford, meanwhile, matured into a neighbourhood institution with loyal regulars who still bristle at the slightest menu change.

The Valley roots run deep. But when the family—Smith, his parents Jon and Jacki, his brother Jake, and brother-in-law Adam—looked beyond, they landed somewhere unexpected: Burnaby.

It was Smith’s sister Erin who first spotted a “for lease” sign at The Amazing Brentwood. The family called, toured the space, and realized the opportunity: a sprawling room with patio potential and a front-row view of one of Metro Vancouver’s fastest-growing neighbourhoods. They signed the lease, rolled up their sleeves, and opened in fall 2024. This September marks the Brentwood location’s first anniversary.

The move wasn’t without nerves. “In the Valley, we’d been doing business for 10 years,” Smith says. “People knew us. Out here, it’s way more competitive. We wanted to elevate the brand.” That meant a rebrand—from “Fish, Chips, Oysters and Ale” to “Ocean-Inspired Dining”—and a more experimental menu. Brentwood became a proving ground for seafood towers, reef and beef pairings, and a brunch tower stacked with bennies, pancakes, fruit, and scones. “Brunch crushes it here, Smith says with a grin.

The Brentwood location also reflects the family’s knack for reading a community. In Chilliwack, a heritage building lent atmosphere. In Burnaby, a recently launched patio: sun-soaked in summer, with talk of winterizing it for hot chocolate and cold-weather cocktails. And everywhere, the throughline remains the same: approachable hospitality, consistency, and a family-first culture. “We really focus on culture,” Smith says. “That means employees are treated the same, guests are treated the same. It’s about consistency and making people feel looked after.”

Even the leadership structure reflects that family spirit. Smith now oversees operations across all three locations, while his brother Jake handles the financial side and Adam, a former musician from Australia who married Smith’s sister, tag-teams executive decisions. Jon, now 80, still pops in. “He’d run it all day every day if he could,” Smith says. “It’s all he’s ever done.”

Looking ahead, Bow & Stern isn’t done growing. The Brentwood location, with its constant churn of new condo towers and shifting demographics, feels like a launchpad. “We definitely want to grow the brand,” Smith says. “I’m a big dreamer, big visionary. We want to expand it and see what potential it has.”

For now, that means doubling down on what’s working: seafood linguini that’s among the top sellers across all locations, oysters shucked at a furious pace, and brunch towers so eye-catching they spark a domino effect of orders every weekend. But the bigger picture is always in sight.

From a Kamloops fish-and-chip shop to a modern seafood house anchoring one of Metro Vancouver’s busiest intersections, Bow & Stern’s story is still unfolding. And if Smith has his way, Burnaby won’t be the family’s last frontier—it’s just the beginning of a new chapter.