In a flashback scene, Flint tells how he an Volkner, who had been rivals up to then, worked together to drive off a poacher, becoming friends in the process. The proprietor later talks about the same encounter, revealing that he was the poacher from back then, and Flint and Volkner's spirit made him turn his back on poaching and open a restaurant instead.
The proprietor's Houndoom was also seen at the Sunyshore Gym during the battle between Flint and Ash.