Vancouver-based vegan restaurant coming to Victoria's former Boston Pizza location

Vancouver-based vegan restaurant MeeT, which currently boasts three locations in the city, will open its first Vancouver Island location on the former Boston Pizza site. (MeeT/Instagram)

A new restaurant tenant has been identified for the former Boston Pizza location on Hillside Avenue in Victoria.

Vancouver-based vegan restaurant MeeT, which currently boasts three locations in the city, will open its first Vancouver Island location on the former Boston Pizza site.

Jason Antony, one of three co-owners of MeeT, said the company has been "wanting to be in Victoria for years," but two other locations fell through before the COVID-19 pandemic cast uncertainty on the industry.

"Now that we're coming out of the pandemic, we've been waiting to come here forever," Antony told CTV News on Tuesday.

The former Boston Pizza at the corner of Hillside Avenue and Blanshard Street closed earlier this year after 35 years in business.

Reduced sales, staff shortages, and rising food and labour costs all contributed to the end of the BP era on the downtown corner.

The former Boston Pizza location in Victoria is shown. (CTV News)

Antony said the concept behind MeeT is less about veganism than it is about being a great comfort-food restaurant first and foremost.

"We don’t promote ourselves as a meatless dining establishment," he said. "We are a restaurant first. Some people don’t even know we're vegetarian."

The company's recipe for success, he said, includes a full cocktail menu and a friendly, inviting atmosphere.

"I think Victoria is just a bit underserved," he said. "I really think it’s going to be a great fit."

Part of the appeal of the Victoria location is the proximity to parking and a potential patio space in the future, Antony added.

MeeT currently has locations in Vancouver's Gastown, Main Street and Yaletown neighbourhoods.

The company is currently hiring for a number of senior positions in Victoria.