GIBSONS, B.C. 

Names in this story have been changed to protect the privacy of the individual(s).

It’s well known among paranormal buffs that restaurants can be hotbeds for strange activity. Whether it’s the high turnover of patrons and the energy they bring through their doors daily, or the residual remnants of one who might’ve had an attachment to the place in life, there are no shortage of creepy stories when it comes to eating establishments. 

Some 20 years ago, a woman named Brenda Humphries took a serving job at a well-known restaurant in Gibsons, the southernmost town on BC’s Sunshine Coast, a popular stopover for tourists.

At the time, Brenda, a 16 year old high schooler, had never heard anything about the place being haunted. However, it would soon become apparent to the young woman that there were strange things at play in the popular eatery. 

Two decades later, she still recalls her experiences there clearly. From the way she speaks of them, it’s obvious they’re memories that still resonate strongly.  

The first happened one night while closing. 

“I remember it like the back of my hand. It was late and there was no one [else] around,”

Brenda, who’d been going about her nightly closing routine in the dining room, moved into the empty kitchen to tend to something there. As she went about her work in back of house, she was suddenly startled when three burners on the large gas stove turned on by themselves.

“I got out of there,” she said. 

While it’s possible to write it off as an equipment malfunction, the next event could not be so easily explained.

“Same thing, I was closing. No one else was around.” 

As before, the young woman was working alone in the kitchen when she alleges she witnessed an empty beer bottle move on its own accord. She watched it slide to the edge of the counter it sat on and crash to the floor. 

“No one else moved it. It moved by itself,” she reiterated. 

The most frightening incident occurred when, as both times before, Brenda alleges she was closing up and in the kitchen alone. Like many commercial kitchens, this one featured a rack of knives, held in place by a magnetic strip on the wall. 

“I was putting stuff away and [a knife] came off of the wall and flew at me.”

Thankfully, the young woman’s quick reflexes caused her to jump out of the way.

Shaken, she vacated the kitchen and quickly finished up her duties. 

It’s interesting to note that each event occurred while alone. Brenda never spoke of her experiences to coworkers, nor did she hear any mention of similar things from them. Could it be that whatever occupied the kitchen was attracted solely to her? 

After that, there were no more strange occurrences. All three incidents took place in a span of two months. Brenda would go on to work there for a total of three years, never seeing or hearing anything out of the ordinary again. 

Is the building haunted?

There are no other accounts of such activity taking place in the restaurant. It’s worth noting that similar poltergeist-like phenomena has been known to occur to young women in adolescence. It’s believed the energy produced during puberty can serve as attractants to certain spirits.