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The owner of the Wine Country Welcome Centre is ready to offer Oliver a new taste.
Jim Ruhland said he is seeking a new tenant to run the restaurant housed in the centre after its current operators Bill and Dawn Reid leave later this year.
The couple recently revealed to the public that they do not intend to renew their lease with the centre when it expires in August. But Ruhland is confident the space will not be empty this fall.
In fact, the Oliver-born businessman told the Chronicle he is currently in discussions with two well-known BC restaurant chains, and one has submitted a letter of intent. He feels the addition of a chain restaurant would lend itself well to the space as well as the town.
“We want to offer something that’s not fast food but is still comfort food and is affordable. We also want something that tourists will recognize fairly quickly,” he added.
“We want to bring people in but we also want this to be a place that helps business grow outward from it.”
He said the immaculately renovated historic building has plenty to offer a prospective tenant including an up-to-date kitchen and beverage system, a prime location, optimum event space and parking.
Possibly one of the biggest draws for a new tenant might be the success the restaurant has seen from its relationship with the Firehall Brewery, which is located on the lower level of the building. That relationship is one Ruhland wants to see flourish in the near future.
“We are in discussions with two parties that are wanting to fit in with the overall concept of what we’re trying to create here, which is to marry craft beer with wine and other spirits and of course music,” he explained. His hope, Ruhland emphasized, is to integrate the tenants in their behaviours so they will operate in a way that complements each other.
He said he will be working with the brewery to bring in more regular live music and continue the Back Alley Concert Series. According to Ruhland the building has seen a 25 per cent increase in traffic since the opening of the brewery and the concert series.
Ruhland said the growing popularity of craft beer in British Columbia and Oliver’s burgeoning music scene serve as the inspiration for his vision for the property – which is to see it become an entertainment hub for Oliver.
Under a new name, and a new operator, Ruhland is hoping to see the restaurant offer beer flights, which would include four “tasters” as well as “pairings” (the pairing of craft beer with certain foods.)
“It’s already being done in the wine industry and in the craft beer industry in other places and it’s something we want to adapt into our model here,” he said.
“They do a great job pouring our beer upstairs so we want to continue with that and expand. We don’t necessarily want to reinvent anything, we’re looking for a tenant that will build on what we already know works.”
What works, he noted, is locals supporting locals.
“We purchase local wine, and those wineries lead people here because their product is here. It’s a win-win.”
Ruhland pointed to potential liquor law changes as another possible win for local businesses.
“It’s looking like it’s going to allow manufacturers to sell each other’s products, so there will be an opportunity for our beer to be available in some of the wineries as well. I think it would add to the overall economics of the area.”
Erin Christie
Oliver Chronicle
