Here - ABLE BC

the 

Publican 

The Alliance of Beverage Licensees 

Spring 2013 

Featuring 

Monashee's 

Bar & Grill 

Agreement #40026059 

Renovations 

Top 5 Cost-Effective 

• Expansion Options for your LRS 

• Standing Apart from the Competition 

• Police Practices and Impaired Driving

CHAMPIONSIP 

[champ - ee - on - sip] verb 

Enjoying the taste of an 

award-winning beer that judges 

and consumers prefer!

Featured 

Publican 

Steve Pauls at 

Monashee's 

Bar & Grill 

Quarterly Publication for the 

Alliance of Beverage Licensees 

2nd floor 948 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1N9 

T 604-688-5560 F 604-688-8560 

Toll free 1-800-663-4883 

info@ablebc.ca www.ablebc.ca 

2012-2013 Board of Directors 

President 

Ron Orr 

Past President Al McCreary 

Vice President Jonathan Cross 

Vice President Poma Dhaliwal 

Vice President Mike McKee 

Treasurer 

Roger Gibson 

Executive Director Ian Baillie 

Directors Al Arbuthnot, Brady Beruschi, Sandy Billing, 

Don Calveley, Al Deacon, Mariana Fiddler, John Lepinski, 

Gavin Parry, Kurt Pyrch, Danny Rickaby, Stan Sprenger 

Director at Large Dave Crown 

The Publican Editorial Committee Damian Kettlewell, 

Ralf Joneikies, Mike McKee, Gary McPhail, 

Ron Orr, Brian Riedlinger, Cheryl Semenuik, Jeff Tennant 

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Publisher 

Joyce Hayne 

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Debbie Minke 

ABLE BC Editor Ian Baillie 

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20 

Features 

10 14 

the 

PublicanSpring2013 

10 The Top 5 Cost-Effective Renovations 

14 Using Daily Deal Sites 

20 Featured Publican: 

Steve Pauls, Monashee's Bar & Grill 

22 Expansion Options for your LRS 

25 Police Practices and Impaired Driving 

26 Standing Apart from the Competition 

32 Legal Issues 

36 Protecting Margins 

22 26 

Departments 

4 President’s Message 

6 Executive Director’s Report 

7 What’s New? 

8 Spotlight on Gin 

9 Liquor Sales & Trends 

18 Product Showcase 

29 Wine Report 

30 LCLB Report 

31 Human Resources 

33 Names in the News 

34 BCHF Update 

35 ABLE Benefits 

38 LDB Report

President's Message 

by Ron Orr 

With this first issue of The Publican in 2013, I offer 

my best wishes for a year of growth, prosperity, 

and personal success. We certainly need it and 

I do believe there is reason for optimism in our 

industry. While 2012 may have been a year of 

transition and challenge, I believe that 2013 will be 

the year for rebuilding and strategically advancing 

the position of ABLE members. 

There has been considerable effort put into 

establishing and developing new relationships 

with all industry stakeholders including politicians, 

BDL, LDB and LCLB. ABLE has reached out to these 

groups and has been successful in developing an 

open line of communication with all of the key 

decision-makers affecting liquor policy. With open 

lines of communication, ABLE is well-positioned 

to consult and advocate on our issues. While we 

may not necessarily agree with all of the policy 

changes, it is expected that we will be involved 

in the process. Change is a constant and we can 

expect to see change affect some, if not all of the 

government agencies in the coming year. With an 

impending election it is critical that the potential 

for change be understood and assessed in light of 

potential effect on the liquor industry. The board 

and executive of ABLE are actively involved in this 

process to ensure the importance, relevance, and 

priorities of ABLE are known to all policy-makers. 

ABLE has similarly reached out to existing, 

past, and potential members in order to better 

understand the issues facing our industry. To 

date, regional meetings have been held in 

Victoria, Vancouver, and Surrey. Without a doubt, 

2012 has seen considerable financial strain 

put on our members, but beyond the obvious 

economic influences, it is clear that government 

policy and the enforcement of that policy can 

have a more dramatic impact than traditional 

economic factors. At ABLE, we need to hear 

about egregious enforcement actions that unduly 

impede operations and put customers, staff, and 

management in the untenable positions of trying 

to defend their right to operate. ABLE supported 

the challenge to the .05 drinking and driving 

legislation to ensure that people’s constitutional 

rights were protected in the government’s 

pursuit of public safety. While the court issues 

surrounding .05 continue to wind themselves 

through the court, it is incumbent upon ABLE 

to ensure that those constitutional rights are 

similarly protected during the enforcement of 

the current law. Members should advise the ABLE 

office with respect to enforcement actions that 

may be questionable. As we have seen in a recent 

case, the Branch’s position and philosophy may 

not always stand up in court. ABLE would much 

prefer to see questionable tactics discussed and 

resolved before it gets to a hearing or a court. 

ABLE is committed to delivering value back to its 

members and wishes to replicate the insurance 

model that currently delivers benefits to both 

the association and its members. We are currently 

reviewing arrangements with suppliers in the 

credit card processing field as well as the wellestablished 

ATM business. ABLE recognizes the 

challenges associated with ever-increasing credit 

card fees as well as everlasting non-cancellable 

contracts. We are seeking out value-added 

suppliers to work with our members. 

Change is also coming to our annual conference 

and trade show! The conference, which we held 

in partnership with the BC Hotel Association, 

has proven to be an institution in our industry. 

Many members looked forward to this annual 

event as an opportunity to network with other 

members, catch up on vendor developments, 

review industry trends, and have some fun. As 

with our industry and businesses, evolution is a 

constant that applies to the conference and trade 

show business. As a result, the boards of ABLE 

and the BC Hotel Association have committed 

to partnering with the Canadian Restaurant & 

Foodservices Association (CRFA) to jointly present 

this year’s hospitality trade show. This will be a 

brand new show that will take place October 27 

& 28 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, West. 

We are excited about the opportunities that this 

expanded show will bring to our members. 

And finally, don’t forget about the transition back 

to PST and the associated 10% liquor tax. ABLE 

presented a PST seminar, which was well attended 

by members and designed to make the transition 

easier. Feel free to call the ABLE office if there are 

any questions remaining as we approach the 

April 1st deadline. Please remember to register for 

your new PST number. It’s easy to do. 

Hockey is back so keep your head up and your 

patrons happy! 

4 The Publican

STOCK UP FOR SUMMER 

WITH THE LATEST ADDITIONS FROM 

MARK ANTHONY 

BRANDS 

NEW 

EASY-GRIP 

CAN! 

PRODUCT NAME UPC PACKAGE CONFIGURATION 

CAYMAN JACK BLOOD ORANGE & PRICKLY PEAR 

CAYMAN JACK PLANTER’S GINGERED PINEAPPLE 

MIKE’S HARD LEMONADE CANS 

OKANAGAN SUMMER BERRY 

PALM BAY COCO MELON PARADISE 

779305100639 

6 X 355 ML CANS 

779305100646 


779469302405 


779305100608 


779469302467 


TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, CONTACT YOUR MARK ANTHONY TERRITORY MANAGER OR THE MARK ANTHONY SALES DESK AT: 604-322-6000 

Please enjoy responsibly. ® is a registered trademark of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, ® is a registered trademark of Cayman Jack, 

® is a registered trademark of Palm Bay Beverage Co., TM is a trademark of Okanagan Cider Co., TM is a trademark of American Vintage Beverage Co.

Executive 

Director's Report 

by Ian Baillie 

Dear Members, 

I’m pleased to update you on a few key items we’re focused on to create a 

stronger and more effective Alliance of Beverage Licensees. 

Building ABLE & Member Engagement 

Since my last report to you a few months ago, ABLE has been active in reaching 

out to our members across the province with a renewed energy for member 

engagement. We are stronger together and that is a philosophy ABLE strongly 

believes in. Our commitment is to back up our words with real action on 

member engagement, and I’m happy to report that we are making progress. In 

the coming months, we will host more member meetings across the province 

and roll out innovative technology that we call ABLEbuilder, which will allow 

us to connect with you faster, more effectively, and will provide you with more 

choices in how we communicate with you. Stay tuned for exciting updates. 

Political Action 

Over the past several months, ABLE has been engaging with all levels of 

government to inform and educate them on issues that affect our industry. 

With the provincial election taking place in May, we encourage all ABLE 

members to connect with MLA candidates in your home ridings. We would 

be happy to provide you with tips, issue backgrounders, and instructions on 

how to organize a meeting with MLA candidates in your area. ABLE wants to 

ensure that candidates for elected office understand our issues and support 

our industry as we build a responsible and profitable liquor licensee sector. 

ABLE members are significant job creators and community supporters across 

this province and a strong liquor licensee industry is vital to BC. 

Member Survey 

We’ve kicked off the year with a province-wide survey of Liquor Primaries and 

LRSs and we will use your feedback to strengthen our operations at ABLE. If 

you haven’t already completed your ABLE industry questionnaire or for some 

reason you need us to send you another one, let us know. Our goal is to have 

as many completed questionnaires as possible, so we know what you want 

and we can better serve you. As always the ABLE office is here as a resource, 

so please let us know if there is something we can help you with. 

2013 and Beyond 

There’s no doubt that our industry has been challenged both economically and 

by government regulations; however, despite those challenges I’m optimistic 

that 2013 is the year we will turn the corner and build our industry. Liquor 

primaries and LRSs provide a valuable service to British Columbians and we 

do so in a responsible way - providing hundreds of millions in tax dollars per 

year that help fund services like health care, education, public transportation, 

and skills training - to just name a few. Our industry is a large contributor to the 

tax base of this province and we will take every opportunity to advance that 

message, because if our industry does well, our communities benefit. With 

your support, 2013 is the year we advance our message, ideas, and vision. I 

hope you will join with us, because together we are stronger! 

6 The Publican

What's New? 

by Debbie Minke 

Beer, Cider, RTDs 

Award-winning Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer from Edinburgh, Scotland has some new additions 

to its BC lineup. Irish Cask has been matured in rare oak barrels from a famous Irish whiskey 

distillery. The result is a big, full flavoured, complex beer with a delightful warming finish. 330ml 

$3.99 Scottish Pale Ale is light with hints of vanilla, oak and hops appearing, and lots of refreshing 

sparkle. 330ml $3.99 Rum Finish - This deep red beer offers soft fruits and malt on the palate, 

balanced by a lively spiciness from the rum. 330ml $3.30 Spiced Rum Finish - This limited bottling 

has been finished over oak infused with Caribbean Spiced Rum. The beer bursts with the flavours 

of Caribbean spices along with signature notes of vanilla, toffee and oak. 330ml $4.99 All Spec 

Bruton Italian craft beers are unfiltered and unpasteurized, and undergo a re-fermentation in the 

bottle that enhances their character, complexity and ability to improve over time. Momus is stout 

and impressive, yet elegant, with notes of caramel and scents of toasted malt. 330ml $5.49 Dieci is 

a dark barley wine with complex, rich hops and intense taste. 330ml $6.99 Both Spec 

Growers Blackberry Cider features the delicate flavour of naturally ripened blackberries blended 

with cider to create a refreshing drink. 330ml x 6 pack $8.49 Listed 

Betty’s Peach Vodka Iced Tea is a refreshing blend of sweet, mild White Peony tea and the full 

flavour of peaches. Light carbonation makes for a bubbly, sweet, and smooth refreshment with a 

touch of vodka. 6x355ml $9.95 Listed Betty’s Raspberry Vodka Iced Tea teams White Peony tea 

with the citric flavour of raspberries. 6x355ml $9.95 Spec 

Spirits 

Agave de Cortes Mezcal has been produced in the town of Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca, Mexico by 

one family for more than 120 years. Love, traditions, and care have been embraced for generations to 

craft these exceptional Mezcals. Blanco is presented unaged or "joven". 750ml $69.95 Reposado is 

matured for over 6 months in American white oak barrels. 750ml $74.95 Añejo is matured for over 18 

months in American white oak barrels. 750ml $85.95 Extra Añejo is aged more than three years in 

French Oak barrels and offers soft notes of chocolate, pear, cinnamon, walnuts, dates, almonds, cooked 

agave and wood. 750ml $114.99 All Spec 

Crown Royal Maple is an exceptionally smooth Canadian Whisky blend with an authentic light maple 

taste and a warm, woody caramelized note on the finish. 750ml $32.99 Listed 

Wiser’s Spiced Whisky is a dark amber, full bodied Canadian Whisky. The nose is vanilla with traces of 

raisins and caramelized toffee. On the palate enjoy toffee and dried fruit rounded off with vanilla. 750ml 

$27.49 Listed 

Bowmore Tempest Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a small batch release that is 10 years old. The 

bright, golden brew offers a nose of Seville orange zest and Islay peat smoke. The palate is initially 

dry but gives way to orange blossom and a sea salt tang, finishing with warming peat. 750ml $84.99 

Bowmore Laimrig Limited Release is 15 years old, with notes of chocolate, sherry, raisins, and smoke. 

750ml $109.99 Both Spec 

Compass Box - The Peat Monster - This Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is a peaty, smoky malt with 

hints of fruitiness; a balanced whisky with great depth and complexity. 750ml $74.99 Spec 

Four Roses Yellow Label Bourbon has hints of pear and apple complimenting floral aromas and 

mixes with a taste of honey and spice. Smooth and mellow with a unique, long, and soft finish. 750ml 

$31.99 Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon - Four original and limited Bourbons have been combined 

to create a perfectly balanced small batch Bourbon with a mellow symphony of rich, spicy flavours 

along with sweet, fruity aromas and hints of sweet oak and caramel. 750ml $49.99 Both Spec 

Korean Ginseng Liquor is distilled with ginseng that is at least 4 years old. Traditional Korean Ginseng 

is often referred to as the herb of life and is widely believed to have mysterious and spiritual properties 

that are conducive to good health. 700ml $69.90 Specialty 

Wines 

Ramos Pinto 10 Year Tawny Port is a blend of high 

quality Portuguese wines. Fruit aromas include orange, 

apricot, and plum. Vanilla and old Port casks create woody 

aromas. It’s smooth and full-bodied with a soft fruitiness. 

375ml $21.99, 750ml $39.99 Spec 

Terra Dei Ri Basilicata Rosso 2010 - This Italian dessert 

wine is crafted from soft-pressed grapes grown on the hills 

around Mount Vulture, picked when they have begun to dry 

out slightly on the vine. It boasts complex flavours of pink 

peach and red guava with subtle, silky sweetness. 500ml 

$33.00 Spec 

Eradus Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2011 is 

delicious, explosive and zingy with tropical and floral notes. 

This fresh wine has the complexity to pair well with food and 

the elegance to be served anytime. 750ml $21.99 Spec 

Villa Conchi Cava Rosé has fine, long-lasting bubbles with 

an intense nose and clean aromas of ripe fruit. It has good 

structure with medium intensity, fresh and pleasant. 750ml 

$17.99 Spec 

Santa Carolina Key Range Sauvignon Blanc 2011 

bursts with fresh citrus flavours, with a crisp and refreshing 

finish. Pairs well with salads and seafood. 750ml $9.99 Spec 

Vina Chela Organic Malbec 2011 boasts intense black 

fruit aromas combined with a hint of mocha and tomillo. 

The tannins are smooth and sweet, and it offers a round and 

persistent finish. 750ml $13.99 Listed 

Grand Pacific Heritage Red 2010 - A soft, silky blend 

with smooth lingering tannins. Aromas of Bing cherries and 

fresh strawberry jam gently entwined with soft caramel. 

750ml $11.99 Spec 

Renaud Boyer Bourgogne Les Riaux 2010 is a fullbodied 

Pinot Noir with floral aromas of rose, peony, and 

violet. Flavours of spice and flinty minerality on the palate 

with good acidity and balance. 750ml $25.99 Spec 

Bodega Vistalba Arido Malbec 2011 is a deep, intense 

red colour. It has chocolate, raisins, and quince on the nose, 

and fruity character to taste. It’s well-bodied and lively. 750ml 

$15.99 Spec 

El Masroig Sola Fred Montsant 2009 is 90% Samso 

(Carignan) and 10% Grenache grown in slate soils. This 

unoaked Mediterranean red is loaded with aromas of cherry, 

black raspberry and violet. The mineral and floral notes 

repeat on the persistent finish. 750ml $15.95 Spec 

The Publican 

7

The Resurgence of Gin 

by Trevor Kallies 

When I first started drinking alcoholic beverages, 

my “cocktail” (and I use this term very loosely) of 

choice was a shot of London Dry Gin mixed with 

Mountain Dew. It was a sugar-bomb and I was 

definitely drinking it for the sugar and not so 

much for the juniper. Thankfully, that drink only 

lasted a summer and before long I was enjoying 

the complexities of gin on its own or mixed in 

cocktails. 

Gin dates back a few years, to say the least. The 

mention of juniper in alcohol can be found as early 

as the 1300s during the bubonic plague. Juniper 

was known to be diuretic, so throughout history, 

you can see the use of juniper spirits emerge in 

times of this sort of hardship. 

Leaps and bounds have been made in gin 

production over the past 700 years. On a retail 

level, as little as ten years ago you would be hard 

pressed to find more than five options for gin in 

a liquor store. The usual suspects were there, of 

course, and when combined with grocery store 

grade tonic water, you’d be able to mix a drink. It 

was easily a spirit category gone by the wayside. 

I watched daily from behind my bar as the people 

around me gave up gin martinis for vodka, and 

the Vodka Soda rose to super stardom. Enter the 

vodka hater inside me. 

The cocktail bartender in my head shouts to be 

heard over the din of a busy cocktail bar: “Why not 

have a gin and soda instead of vodka? There’s so 

much more flavour!” 

The culture bartender (vests, armbands and 

twisted moustaches) all had the same opinion: 

vodka just wasn't cool to mix. It all just ended up 

tasting like what you put it in. 

Thankfully, the spirits companies were not 

discouraged by the giant that is vodka. In the 

past ten years, those five gin choices of old have 

grown to hundreds. Artisanal distilleries have 

popped up all over the world and are producing 

amazing juniper spirits. The first new distillery in 

over 200 years has opened within the London 

city limits and is producing gin! Iconic brands 

that are hundreds of years old are coming out 

with line extensions that make sense (you won’t 

find whipped vanilla gin). The botanicals within 

the liquid have reached new heights. The use of 

aromatic and flavourful tea has been added to 

production, so we’re not trapped in the box of 

only grain spirits. There are gins out there using 

grape and grape flowers as the base. The list of 

new forms and flavours of gin goes on and on. 

So, why do we suddenly have a resurgence of gin? 

There are a few angles to the answer: 

First - the bartender, who is a very dominant force 

when looking at what people drink. If a company 

can get a few bartenders behind them to push a 

product, the sky is the limit. The gin industry made 

some smart moves when it started hiring the 

world’s most influential bartenders to represent its 

brands. The likes of Charlotte Voissey, Phillip Duff, 

Simon Ford, and Dan Warner were all pushing gin, 

and bartenders loved it. 

Second - We aren’t drinking our grandmother’s 

gin. There is a whole new sub-category of gin on 

the market today. This contemporary gin isn’t Old 

Tom, Plymouth, or London Dry. It has added softer 

flavours and in some cases reduced the juniper. It 

is floral, aromatic, and flavorful with many layers 

and is very drinkable. The old boys still do very 

well, but the consumer now sees a flashy package, 

a luxury price point, and a drinkable product. The 

experience begins. 

Third - Cocktails. It is safe to say that cocktails have 

gone mainstream. Ryan Gosling is making Old 

Fashioned cocktails for Emma Stone in romantic 

comedies. Alfred Pennyworth is name-dropping 

Fernet Branca in Gotham City. These references 

may have been subtle for some, so I’ll add one 

more: GQ magazine is running multi-page 

pictorials of the most inspiring gin bartenders in 

North America. Their monthly readership: 824,334 

paid subscriptions in the US alone. There you have 

it - GQ wants you to drink gin too. 

So, be sure your bar and store are stocking up 

on some of the new additions to the gin lineup. 

Killjoy Barbers G&T 

• 2 oz. contemporary gin 

(look for something with a modern feel 

to it, with cucumber as a flavour agent, 

grape, or tea - many will work) 

• 1 sprig fresh thyme 

• 1 orange peel (just the peel, no pith, 

wide is ok) 

• Bitters (look for something modern and 

outside the Angostura realm; Bittered Sling 

makes an amazing orange & juniper) 

• 1 thin slice cucumber 

• Tonic 

Mix in a rocks glass over quality ice. 

Trevor Kallies is Bar & Beverage Director at Donnelly Group. 

8 The Publican

Beer 

LIQUOR SALES & TRENDS 

For Total BC Market April 1, 2012 to November 24, 2012 

Volume % Change Gross Sales % Change Marketshare 

Litre Sales 

BC Liquor Stores 54,659,034 -2.3% $233,500,798 -2.0% 29.9% 

LRS 82,378,013 0.2% $351,006,001 0.3% 45.0% 

Licensee 40,003,050 -3.9% $151,021,184 -2.7% 19.3% 

Other 10,606,335 -2.1% $45,277,518 5.8% 

Product Total from All Sources 187,646,433 -1.5% $780,805,501 -1.2% 

Spirits 


Litre Sales 

BC Liquor Stores 7,274,395 -2.2% $235,660,487 -0.3% 47.1% 

LRS 5,530,988 3.9% $173,614,335 4.9% 34.7% 

Licensee 2,014,421 -1.0% $65,464,679 -0.2% 13.1% 

Other 1,075,010 0.8% $25,905,251 5.2% 

Product Total from All Sources 15,894,814 0.2% $500,644,752 -0.7% 

Wine 


Litre Sales 

BC Liquor Stores 20,370,181 0.7% $285,652,691 2.8% 45.4% 

LRS 10,655,636 5.9% $138,515,601 8.1% 22.0% 

Licensee 5,478,092 -0.7% $91,170,315 0.0% 14.5% 

Other 5,252,394 5.6% $113,469,376 18.0% 

Product Total from All Sources 41,756,303 2.4% $628,807,983 3.8% 

Refreshment Beverage 


Litre Sales 

BC Liquor Stores 6,812,900 2.3% $31,739,826 2.3% 32.2% 

LRS 10,804,167 7.7% $52,003,744 7.3% 52.8% 

Licensee 1,581,257 -2.4% $7,959,978 -2.7% 8.1% 

Other 1,390,180 6.8% $6,726,983 6.8% 

Product Total from All Sources 20,588,504 5.0% $98,430,531 4.5% 

Note: (1) Measured in Gross Retail Sales Dollars. (2) Report includes all liquor sales from BC market. Source: BC Liquor Distribution Branch 

The Publican 

9

THE TOP 5 COST-EFFECTIVE 

RENOVATIONS FOR PUBS & LRSs 

by James Bradley 

10 The Publican

Photo courtesy of Crow & Gate Pub 

Renovations: It’s a word loaded with questions begging answers. What? Where? 

When? Don’t forget the rest: Who? How? How much should we renovate? And 

the clincher for owners: How much will it cost? 

In the constantly changing and always unique pub and private liquor store 

industry, keeping up can be a challenge. You need to decide where your money 

is best spent, which details to focus on, and how far to go. Addressing these 

issues will ensure that your investment will be concentrated on the areas that 

will best impact your establishment, patrons, and sales. 

Pubs 

When considering updating your establishment, you must first decide if full 

renovation is needed, or just a partial renovation. When a partial renovation 

is considered, it is important to work on areas that will satisfy and please your 

existing clientele while attracting new business. Here is a list of cost-effective 

renovations that will have the most significant impact on your business. 

" Your front entry creates an 

experience of your pub before your 

clients have even stepped through 

the door." 

Entrance 

Your entrance provides curb appeal and gives the first impression of your 

establishment. It can also add a signature to your pub. In fact, your front entry 

creates an experience of your pub before your clients have even stepped 

through the door, so it is an important area to focus on. Custom front doors 

and landscaping are excellent ways to create a lasting impression. 

It’s just as important to consider what customers experience when they walk 

in. Are they arriving into an open and inviting space, or is it a tight, closed-in 

area? People go to pubs because they want to be around others, and they 

want to see people when they come into your establishment. If you have a 

vestibule type-entry, you can consider replacing the inner doors with frameless 

glass doors. This will open up the space and give you a fresh, timeless feature. 

Courtesy of James Bradley Consulting Inc. 

Windows 

Window treatments are one of the most overlooked, cost-effective opportunities 

to impact your space, attract new clients, and let your regulars know that you 

care about their experience and surroundings. Window coverings help create 

scene and effect while complementing the exterior appearance of your building. 

Through the use of fabrics or blinds - or a combination of both - you can control 

lighting while creating impressive looks that can change, while updating the 

whole appearance of your space. 

Paint and Wall Coverings 

One of the quickest, cost-effective ways to protect and enhance your space 

is through the use of paint and wall coverings. These can add texture and 

atmosphere to your interior while brightening up areas, making them more 

inviting and comfortable. Regular painting and maintenance to the exterior 

of the space will allow you to make subtle changes and enhancements while 

protecting your investment. 

The Publican 

11

Courtesy of James Bradley Consulting Inc. 

Flooring 

With current advancements in vinyl plank, tile, concrete, and carpet, the choices 

are unbelievable and combinations infinite. What used to entail a substantial 

cost and inconvenience is now a reasonable option with a minimal impact to 

operations. The options in vinyl wood planking and vinyl tile are realistic and 

in most cases more durable and quicker to install than their “real” wood and 

tile counterparts. A top quality commercial grade nylon carpet or carpet tile 

offers all the benefits of wool with a multitude of additional colour and pattern 

options. Your floor is the most abused area in your space, and it is the base by 

which all else is reflected. If it is time for a change, you can now consider many 

more options and solutions than in the past. 

Washrooms 

We have left this last on the list for a reason: This can be your greatest 

opportunity to create an impressive impact on your bottom line. What do 

women want even more than great food and service? Clean and comfortable 

washrooms! They are tired of going into dingy, dirty washrooms. Men? Their 

top draw is women! They want a fun place with lots of women. One solution 

solves two issues. We all know a certain restaurant chain that created a buzz 

in the industry that others are still attempting to match. Give your patrons, 

clean, unique washrooms and the women will frequent your space - and the 

men will follow! 

Liquor Stores 

Liquor stores have two key issues that affect their bottom line: sales and security. 

All design decisions should be made around these two factors. Many LRS 

operators are still missing key opportunities for additional sales and product 

turnover, and several are losing product to theft. Following is a list of tried and 

tested solutions to increasing sales and creating a comfortable, secure space 

that works. 

Entry and Exit Systems 

If at all possible, a separate entry and exit door system should be established. 

When you control how people enter and exit your space, you can implement 

several security options such as entry cameras and monitors, door jamb exit 

cameras, and bottle tags. From a sales perspective it allows you to direct how 

people enter your store and what is presented to them first. It also offers an 

opportunity to line their exit path with impulse-buy items. 

12 The Publican

Store Layout 

When planning a store we consider several factors 

and implement as many as possible into the layout 

and design. Sight lines are critical to reducing 

theft; if people feel that there is no place to hide 

they are less likely to see what they can get away 

with. The racking should be laid out in such a 

way that it minimizes blinds spots and maximizes 

visibility from the cash area. The layout should also 

consider buying habits and tendencies. With beer 

being the highest seller in most markets, and men 

being the worst browsers, you need to ensure 

there is not a direct path to the beer and out the 

door. What you want to do is hit this demographic 

with additional products, with higher markups, so 

they remember to pick up a bottle for the party 

on Friday night or get some wine for their wives. 

Cash Area 

Cash areas should always be raised, giving the 

staff a better view over the racking and displays. 

This is part of eliminating opportunities for theft 

and supporting the staff to provide better service 

to their customers. The cash area is another 

excellent location for generating additional sales 

and should have sufficient counter and space 

to support product display. By adding onto the 

existing face of your cash counter, you create 

" With beer being the highest seller in most markets, 

and men being the worst browsers, you need to 

ensure there is not a direct path to the beer and out 

the door." 

display space for chips and candy, and can 

extend tops to accommodate smaller impulse 

buy items. We are not saying to clutter the cash 

area; organized, well positioned products are key. 

Lighting 

Lighting is an effective tool for directing people’s 

attention where you want it. You always want to 

light the product and have the product light the 

store. LED track lighting is the best solution for 

this. Pendant lighting at the cash counter can be 

used to add unique detail. 

Liquor Racking 

This is one area where government stores are 

generally well ahead of the private sector. They 

have been displaying product on wire racking for 

several years, while some of their private sector 

counterparts are still using bulky custom displays. 

Wire display racking is versatile, efficient, and cost 

effective. It provides built-in price rails, effective 

sign options, and the ability to easily expand. If 

you are still holding onto those custom displays, 

do yourself and your customers a favour by seeing 

what else is available. It will not only open up your 

space, it will take more products off the floor or 

out of the back and put it on the shelves! 

Whether you are considering future renovations or 

about to start one tomorrow, contemplate these 

ideas and make sure your renovation has a great 

impact on your existing patrons, new clientele, 

and most importantly, your bottom line! 

For all hospitality design and consulting services contact James 

Bradley Consulting Inc. - the liquor industry experts at 604.781.1477 

or james@jbconsultinc.com. 

The Publican 

13

USING 

DAILY DEAL SITES 

by Ronald Lee 

14 The Publican

If you own a pub, chances are you’ve considered 

using a daily deal website to attract more 

customers. Perhaps you’ve already run a daily 

deal offer (or a few) and survived to tell about it. 

While daily deals sound like an ingenious way to 

build your business - through massive exposure 

to drive lots of people into your establishment - 

the concept may have passed its peak having left 

many pubs burnt in its wake. It has also changed 

your customers’ buying behaviour forever (at least 

until the next fad). 

The daily deal phenomenon started in 2007 when 

Andrew Manson, Groupon’s founder, noticed 

that a social group he was in charge of was very 

active in organizing groups to take advantage 

of local businesses’ group deals. In 2008, he 

launched Groupon, which started the group 

buying craze that eventually evolved into the 

daily deal concept. 

The Rise of the Daily Deal 

At its height, group buying was huge; proving that 

cash-strapped, post-recession consumers loved 

discounted deals. In 2010, Groupon erroneously 

turned down a $6 billion ownership offer from 

Google, despite the fact that it hadn’t actually yet 

made a profit. The website had plans to launch its 

own IPO to go public on the stock market. 

Today, the company is worth less than Google’s 

initial offer, but may actually turn a profit for 

the first time in 2013. It has been busy using its 

revenue to cover overhead, marketing, growth, 

and acquiring smaller companies. 

Many copycat competitors have popped up using 

the daily deal model. Consumers can choose from 

at least ten daily deal websites in Vancouver alone, 

and there have been many more sites started, but 

they were weeded out by the marketplace. 

Why Did Daily Deals Have Such a Meteoric 

Rise? 

Daily deal site operators, confident in their 

ability to market to large audiences, saw dollar 

signs. Vendor businesses - particularly pubs and 

restaurants where there is high customer turnover 

- thought the concept would be good for a large 

infusion of cash and for finding new customers. 

Common reasoning for using a daily deal has 

been: “If I show them a good time and they like the 

food, they’ll come back for more. Hopefully they’ll 

even tell their friends who also love bargains.” 

Sound familiar? 

Customers - the true winners of the daily deal 

game (except when the deal is sold out) - are 

driving the daily deal industry; however, this 

exposure to a plethora of deals has now created 

a much savvier consumer. 

The main advantage of using a daily deal site 

is that your pub will get exposure to a highly 

desirable demographic. The numbers tell the tale: 

• 60% of daily deal site users are between 18 to 

34 years old. 

• The next biggest demographic is 35 to 55 years 

old. 

• 68% of all online shoppers subscribe to one 

daily deal site. 

• 46% subscribe to two. 

• Most people who bought a daily deal ended 

up buying at least three over the past year. 

Now that we’ve matured into the fifth year of 

daily deals, a lot has changed since the early days. 

When daily deals first came out, most businesses, 

particularly spas and restaurants, didn’t realize 

the true cost of running a daily deal campaign, 

and many of those vendors couldn’t afford to run 

them. Worse, many thought these were a source 

of additional revenue. 

Today, many restaurant associations strongly 

caution against daily deal sites, concerned that 

these coupons devalue the industry as a whole. 

Unfortunately, many owner/operators work alone 

or are new to daily deal sites and still use them. 

You can also add “desperate to stay afloat” owners 

into that mix as well. 

Consumers are now trained to look for businesses 

that offer the best (i.e. cheapest) deal. In the past, 

a vendor could expect a coupon user to spend 

20 - 30% over the value of the coupon; now, 

consumers are careful to only order the bare 

minimum to get the deal. 

The Split Revenue Model - How Daily Deals Work 

The concept of the daily deal is relatively simple. A daily deal site offers to sell your gift certificate or 

menu item at a discount, usually at 50% (or more) off the regular price. The site gets half the money 

from the sale of the coupon, with the other half going to you. This essentially means you are selling 

your regular service at 25%, which often means a loss to the business owner. 

The biggest advantage to doing a daily deal offer is the massive exposure your brand could get with 

the right daily deal site. Consider the loss to be a marketing expense. 

The Publican 

15

The Real Cost of Daily Deals 

In the beginning, vendors mistakenly thought that inviting customers to try them 

out at a discount would encourage them to come back and pay full price, but 

this hasn’t been the case for daily deal site users. The rate of return has always 

been low because bargain hunters care more about finding the next bargain, and 

are more loyal to the daily deal site than they are to the pub offering the deal. 

In an industry where operating and food costs allow for thin margins of 4 - 10%, 

businesses really need to have a plan before running a daily deal because 

chances are they will lose money. There are cases where pubs may break even, 

but even then there’s the lost opportunity of getting full price and better serving 

your existing customers. 

Part of the reason why vendors don’t understand the true cost of their daily deal 

is because so much time passes between the initial offer and receiving their 

cheque from the daily deal site. Chances are you won’t have profits when it is 

finished, but it’s hard to tell unless the business is on top of tracking the return. 

What these daily deals do give are good metrics. Most sites will give you sales 

numbers, which you can use as a starting point to calculate several other key 

figures such as the number of redemptions, revenue per coupon, costs versus 

ROI, etc. 

Some Big Daily Deal Sites 

Groupon - www.groupon.com 

Living Social - www.livingsocial.com 

Indulge Living - www.indulgeliving.com 

Wag Jag - www.wagjag.com 

Social Shopper - www.socialshopper.com 

The Pros and Cons 

Here are some of my favourite pros and cons when it comes to using daily 

deal sites: 

Pros 

• You get immediate, massive exposure to a list of previous daily deal buyers 

who may not have known about your business before. 

• The daily deal site handles the order. 

• Perhaps 10% to 20% of people never redeem their discount voucher (free 

money). On the other hand, 80% to 90% is a high redemption rate. 

• With very desirable customer demographics for pubs and restaurants, it is a 

natural marketing tool for customers who love to share and talk about 

bargains. 

• Expect the daily deal site to translate into more visits to your website and 

social media (are you ready?) as you get fast and massive, short-term brand 

awareness. 

Cons 

• You give away a deep cut of your gross revenue with every deal sold. 

• Daily deal users have no loyalty to the vendor and only a small percentage 

return to pay full price. 

• You are forced to work on the daily deal site’s terms. 

• Constant discounting can hurt your brand’s reputation. 

• Servers get low tips because of low check averages. 

• Customers are now savvy enough to order carefully, resulting in no profits. 

• What you spend (i.e. lose) on daily deals could have been used on other 

marketing or advertising. 

• Customers are experiencing deal fatigue with too many available deals. 

The daily deal trend appears to have reached a plateau. 

• If you run too many deals in a short time, you can put yourself out of business. 

16 The Publican

How to Run Your Daily Deal 

If you’re thinking of running your own daily deal, 

here are some tips to getting the most of your 

vendor experience without losing your shirt: 

1) Ensure your deal does not promote or include 

liquor. 

2) Learn your business inside and out, especially 

the true cost of your offer, which is the sum of your 

food costs, labour and overhead. Can you afford to 

lose $10, $20, $40 per coupon sold and redeemed? 

What if you sell 1,000 coupons? Do the math. 

3) Have a strategy to turn daily deal users into 

repeat customers. For example, collect their 

contact information so you can offer them another 

deal, this time with no middleman. 

4) Don’t be afraid to negotiate better terms. For 

example, ask for caps on the number of deals 

sold and put restrictions on when, how, and for 

what they can be used. Schedule the deal for slow 

nights and put your lower cost, higher-margin 

items in the deal. 

5) Make sure your employees are prepared for 

the initial influx of customers and that your social 

media and website are up-to-date and full of 

relevant information. 

6) Ensure you have a plan for the backend to 

encourage customer loyalty and make upsells, so 

you can get a more favourable ROI from the deal 

over time. Don’t give away 75% of your business 

for free. 

7) Don’t make the mistake of using daily deal 

sites to bankroll your business. I’ve seen several 

restaurants use one daily deal site after another 

to stay afloat only to eventually close their doors. 

8) Don’t think the daily deal site will do all the work 

for you. It’s up to you to convert new customers 

into loyal customers. 

Proceed with extreme caution. 

Ronald Lee is the senior marketing consultant at Eat Marketing, a 

restaurant, food and hospitality marketing agency. He also works with 

Google to offer their premiere Google Business Photos service and can 

be reached through www.eatmarketing.com. 

Restaurant Daily Deals: The Operator Experience 

by Joyce Wu, Sheryl E. Kimes Ph.D., and Utpal Dholakia Ph.D. 

A survey of 273 restaurateurs who have 

offered daily deals presents a mixed picture 

regarding the deals’ success and the operators’ 

attitudes on past and future deals. About half 

of the restaurateurs, a substantial majority of 

which were independents, had offered at least 

one deal, most of them through Groupon or 

LivingSocial. These operators reported that 

about 40% of the deal purchasers were new 

customers, meaning that there was substantial 

cannibalization of existing customers. However, 

35% of the first-time deal customers returned 

to the restaurant without a further incentive. 

Although many restaurant operators said 

revenues increased, the number that said 

they made money on the deal was about the 

same as those who reported losing money. 

Additionally, a comparison of deal buyers’ 

attitudes with the restaurateurs’ view of the 

deal buyers found that the operators misjudged 

their guests in some regards but were correct 

on others. The operators underestimated deal 

buyers’ likelihood of returning to the restaurant 

without a subsequent deal, and missed a key 

characteristic of the deal buyers, which is that 

they want to be opinion leaders, or “market 

mavens”. This aspect of deal buyers can be 

important for future sales. Given the consumers’ 

attitudes, the best strategy to bring back deal 

buyers is to offer them a first-class experience 

so that they can see a restaurant’s full value 

proposition. 

The writers are with the Centre of Hospitality Research at Cornell 

University’s School of Hotel Administration. 

The Publican 

17

Product Showcase 

Pablo Old Vine 

Garnacha 2011 

Red Wine 

Spain 

St. Lucia Chairman’s 

Reserve Spiced Rum 

Rum 

St. Lucia 

Sombra Mezcal 

Mezcal 

Mexico 

STIEGL GRAPEFRUIT RADLER 

Beer 

Austria 

TIERRA ARANDA 2009 

Red Wine 

Spain 

New 

Produced by Bodegas San 

Alejandro in the region of 

Calatayud, Spain. 

The gnarly old bush vines that 

bear the precious fruit that go 

to make this delicious wine 

were planted up to 100 years 

ago in the mountain vineyards 

of Atea. 

Lush blackberry and cherry 

flavours cram the mid palate 

with an underlying spicy 

pepperiness that delivers a 

punch of juiciness that will 

leave the palate stunned. 

Perfect partner to roasted 

meats, casseroles and various 

cheeses. 

Specialty 

750ml $13.99 

SKU 205518 

604-737-0018 

www.dhs-wine.com 

96 pts. Wine & Spirits 

This rum contains local 

spices and fruits including 

cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, 

vanilla, coconut, allspice, 

lemon and orange. 

We have also added Richeria 

Grandis, known locally 

as “Bois Bande” - a bark 

renowned in the Caribbean 

as a potent aphrodisiac - to 

give an added kick to the 

rum. 

Restricted/Spec 

6 x 750ml $38.99 

SKU 761965 

604-737-0018 

www.dhs-wine.com 

100% Agave Espadín 

Sombra Mezcal is produced 

at 2400 metres from agave 

hand-harvested from the 

steep slopes of the Sierra 

Madre in Oaxaca, Mexico. The 

agave hearts are buried in an 

earthen pit where they slowly 

roast over hot rocks using 

Encino oak, and then are 

crushed using a traditional 

horse-drawn tahona, 

fermented in open pine vats, 

and expertly distilled. The 

smoky, spicy, fruity result is 

one of the most tasteful and 

finest spirits produced on 

and of this earth. 

90 pts. Wine Enthusiast 

Ultimate Spirits Challenge 

2012 - 91 points 

Other 100% agave Mezcals 

and Tequilas available. 

750mL $74.99 

SKU 856914 

604-836-4319 

www.agavespirits.com 

Stiegl Radler is half Stiegl 

Goldbrau Lager & half 

grapefruit juice made with 

purely natural flavours. 

What makes Radlers so popular 

is their sophisticated, perfectly 

rounded and fruity taste. 

Lower in calories and it’s light 

and refreshing! Only 2.5% and 

75 calories per half pint. 

The purity of Stiegl with pure 

grapefruit juice. 

500ml cans 

Coming Soon 

Ryan Somers 

604-838-6389 

www.mcclellandbeers.ca 

A fresh, full-bodied 

Tempranillo with oak, spices, 

blackberry notes. 

Wine Advocate - Ribera del 

Duero, Spain - “Deep purple 

in colour, it offers up an 

inviting nose of sandalwood, 

Asian spices, tapenade, 

mineral, and blackberry. 

Already exhibiting some 

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this rich, plush effort 

conceals enough structure 

to evolve for 2-3 years. 

Drinking window to 2024.” 

Parker Barrel Score: 

90-93 points 

14.5% Alc/Vol 

Spec 

750 ml $19.50 

SKU 831651 

250-483-5633 

www.markat.ca 

www.markatwines.com 

18 18 The Publican

HERMANN'S DARK LAGER 

Dark Lager 

Canada 

BETTY’S PEACH VODKA 

ICED TEA 


Canada 

BETTY’S RASPBERRY 

VODKA ICED TEA 


Canada 

IMPERIAL IPA FOR AUTISM 

Extra-Strong Beer 

Canada 

TAKARA - HANA LYCHEE 

FLAVORED SAKE 

Sake 

USA 

A proud and passionate 

Bavarian, Hermann was one of 

our original Brewmasters. 

He handcrafted this traditional 

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Caramel, Chocolate and Black 

malts to satisfy his longing for 

a local beer that reflected the 

true taste of his homeland. 

Consistently recognized as 

one of the world’s best dark 

lagers, this refreshing beer has 

aromas of coffee and chocolate 

combined with a toasty malt 

body and a clean lager finish. 

A refreshing blend of 

White Peony tea - a sweet 

and mild tea - with the full 

flavour of peaches, and the 

smoothness of sugar cane 

syrup. 

Light carbonation makes 

for a bubbly, sweet, and 

smooth refreshment with a 

touch of vodka. 

A refreshing blend of White 

Peony tea - a sweet and 

mild tea - with the citric 

flavour of raspberries, and 

smoothness of sugar cane 

syrup. 

Light carbonation makes 

for a bubbly, sweet and 

smooth refreshment with a 

touch of vodka. 

$5 from each bottle goes 

directly to Autism Research! 

This Limited Edition 

Imperial IPA is dry hopped 

with whole leaf hops 

from the Yakima Valley, 

combined with Maris Otter 

English barley, which is 

floor-malted in age-old 

tradition. A long maturation 

ensures plenty of flavour, 

with strong aromas of 

grapefruit, tangerine and 

mango. 

Best enjoyed lightly 

chilled, this exquisite ale 

will coat your palate with 

a sensational, lasting 

bitterness. 

HANA premium sake is 

carefully brewed with the 

finest rice from the fertile 

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creates HANA’s smooth 

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The Publican 

19

Monashee’s Bar & Grill 

by Jonathan Niven 

Something for Everyone 

When Steve Pauls and his two partners, Bruce Webster and Rick Roberts, bought 

Vernon’s Monashee’s Bar & Grill in 2006, they had no idea that the economy was 

about to take the hardest hit that anyone can remember in decades. 

Coming from Alberta, where the three partners had just sold the Beddington 

Group chain of 12 liquor stores, Monashee’s Bar & Grill was just part of the deal 

to acquire the LRS it was attached to. In a little over six years, Steve has turned 

the venue into an upscale pub with multiple personalities. 

A booming business lunch crowd gives way to a busy after-work group. 

A different dinner crowd arrives soon after, which eventually gives way to 

enthusiastic partyers who pack the nightclub on weekends. Monashee’s really 

does have something for everyone. However, cultivating these very different 

markets and demographics has been anything but easy. As Steve explains, 

“We have customers from 19 to 75 years old. We serve high-end pub food, 

not your basic burgers. The portions are larger and the quality is high. It’s all 

about perceived value. We’ve hired great chefs and we want to make sure our 

customers feel they are getting value.” 

The menu has been designed to work closely with the huge variety of craft 

beers the bar is now serving. “We have redone our bar counter and installed 

new draft taps, which exclusively feature craft beers. People are drinking far less 

these days, but are willing to spend more on a quality craft beer.” Steve went on 

to say, “That’s where the market is going so we have to react and be different.” 

He is bringing in draft beers from wherever he can find them - such as Barking 

Squirrel from Ontario, or Maple Lager from Granville Island. It’s a trend Steve 

has seen at his other pub, Kal Sports Bar, where they sell 99 different types of 

beer from around the world. 

On four corners in the busy downtown area of Vernon, Steve and his partners 

now have two pubs and two liquor stores. Just a few months after purchasing 

Monashee’s, the opportunity came up to buy an old beer parlour and liquor 

store kitty-corner to Monashee’s. According to Steve, the pub was in pretty bad 

20 The Publican

We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Urban Spoon, 

Yelp, Trip Advisor, and Pinterest. We get more 

traffic from Facebook than our website. 

shape given the building is 130 years old and the carpet in the pub seemed like it was original! 

They cleaned it up and made it into a sports bar with 35 TVs, off-track horse racing, and stateof-the-art 

golf simulator games with digital photo graphics. “It’s funny to see people walking 

down the street in winter with a set of clubs over their shoulder coming to Kal Sports Bar to play 

golf,” said Steve. “You have to give customers something different to get them into your bar.” 

Along with 99 different types of beer to try at Kal’s, there are also 99 flavours of wings. 

Customers get a passport and anyone who eventually tries all 99 beers goes in a draw for a 

trip, so they can visit their favourite craft brewer anywhere in the world. 

Having two liquor stores across the street from one another presents its own challenges. In 

order to try and capture a wider market, Steve has branded each of them to reach a different 

clientele. The 30th Street Liquor Store sells product at government prices and sells mostly beer, 

while Kalamalka Wine and Spirits sells higher-end wines, vintages, and specialty products. 

Since acquiring both pubs and liquor stores in 2006, the industry has had its share of challenges. 

With the recession, new smoking regulations, and stricter drinking and driving laws, Steve 

has been forced to look at every aspect of the business and do things differently. Vernon, like 

most BC communities, has also seen an increase in chain restaurants moving in. Operators 

like Original Joes and Brown’s Social House have made their mark in the local market, forcing 

independents like Monashee’s to be innovative. “There’s no question, it puts demands on 

independents, but we can’t be afraid of the competition - we just need to be better. We can 

react faster than the chains and if I want to put out a new promotion today, I just go ahead 

and do it.” That’s the kind of advantage that independent operators have, according to Steve. 

He has also noticed a marked change in the way he markets his businesses. Gone are the days 

when just a quarter page ad in the local paper would draw new customers. Today, it’s all about 

social media. “We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Urban Spoon, Yelp, Trip Advisor, and Pinterest. We 

get more traffic from Facebook than our website,” observes Steve. “You simply have to be there. 

If you’re afraid of social media or think that you might get a bad review on Urban Spoon, and 

therefore you don’t go there, you’re missing out. With Urban Spoon or Trip Advisor, you have 

the ability to reply back to negative feedback and face it head on. I have been able to turn 

around 90% of any negative comments we’ve received. We’re all going to get bad reviews 

from time to time, it’s how you handle them that counts.” 

As social media has become a bigger and bigger part of Steve’s marketing efforts, he has 

reached out to the marketing program at UBCO (University of BC Okanagan) for co-op 

students. “This is a win/win. We get young, enthusiastic marketing students doing a co-op 

practicum and they get some real world experience marketing a pub and nightclub through 

social media channels.” 

Looking ahead, Steve sees some slow, steady growth for the industry over the next several 

years. “It’s a challenge for Vernon because young people are looking for good paying jobs 

elsewhere like northern Alberta. Thankfully, tourism is starting to come back.” Industry trends 

are difficult to predict, but Steve is pleased about the continuation of the LRS moratorium until 

2022. “With the liquor industry, you are always going to have challenges with government 

because policies change. We work closely with ABLE and are just trying to keep on top of 

where things are going.” 

Steve’s advice for any publican or LRS owner looking to grow their business: “Do something! If 

you don’t do anything, you won’t get anything. Look for constant innovation in everything you 

do, and just keep trying new things!” That philosophy certainly is working at Monashee’s. 

The Publican 

21

EXPANSION OPTIONS 

FOR YOUR LRS 

by Bert Hick 

22 The Publican 

The Brewery Creek Liquor Store

The moratorium on issuing new licences for liquor 

stores will be in place for many years to come, and 

the current policies and regulations regarding 

store size, hours, and restrictions will also likely 

exist on relocation of stores as well and are not 

expected to change. What options are available 

to store operators looking to expand and improve 

their stores? 

Changing the Size of a Liquor Store at 

Current Site 

How big is big enough, or how big is too big? The 

Class G Licencee (retail liquor store) was first rolled 

out in 1988 when I was General Manager of the 

Liquor Branch, and the maximum store size was 

1,000 sq ft in the retail area. This number was not 

selected as a result of very thorough investigation 

and research. The Minister of the day simply didn’t 

want large stores and he was asked during a 

meeting what size he had in mind, so he looked 

around his office and asked, “How big is my office?” 

An aide in the meeting paced off the size and it 

measured around 1,000 sq ft, so the minister said 

“that should be big enough!” (Hence the 1,000 

sq ft policy.) Later on, the Branch eliminated the 

size policy, and now a store can be as large as the 

licencee wants to make it. However, owners must 

check with their local government, which may 

have size restrictions. 

While there is no set store size, the size you want 

has to be a formulation of lease rate, market size, 

store concept, clientele, staff supervision, and 

control. I personally prefer smaller stores of 1,000 

to 1,500 sq ft in the public area. Even if you have 

a good lease rate now, your landlord may want a 

substantial Toro's increase when renewing your lease, 

so be sure to examine other options before you 

renew. 

If you go to a smaller store and have surplus space, 

consider subleasing an area to another business. 

Perhaps you could set up another business 

that sells inventory an LRS cannot sell that 

complement your liquor store, e.g. a convenience 

store, deli, cheese shop, etc. Changing the size of 

your store involves a structural change application 

to the Liquor Branch, and once approved, you’ll 

need to deal with your local government for a 

building permit and other requirements. 

If you have a pub attached to your LRS, you can 

also consider taking space out of your pub to 

allocate to your LRS. 

Relocation of Your Liquor Store within the 

Same Local Government Jurisdiction 

This past fall, the City of Surrey amended its zoning 

bylaw and no longer requires an operating liquor 

primary licence to exist beside an LRS. I think 

Surrey was the last municipality to make this 

change. As current leases come up for renewal, 

store operators should look for new opportunities 

and better locations. Use the following checklist 

to find the best location: 

• A good, solid landlord who will work with you 

(count your fingers after you shake hands to 

make sure you get all five back!) 

• A location in a mall or strip development with 

other compatible tenants, e.g. a grocery store, 

drug store, bank, or dry cleaners - somewhere 

customers can do one stop shopping. 

• High visibility from the road, and preferably on 

a corner of an intersection, with easy access 

and parking, preferably on a surface lot directly 

in front of your store. 

• More than one kilometre from an existing 

private liquor store, where you can create your 

own market area 

• A substantial population in the neighbouring 

area comprised of residents who would 

frequent your store. 

• A site suitably zoned for a liquor store. Check 

with your local government if a liquor store has 

site-specific zoning in your municipality. Talk 

with municipal staff to get a reading on 

whether they would support a store at the 

proposed site. 

A relocation application must be filed with 

the Liquor Branch and you need to have an 

“option to lease” for the proposed site. Once 

preliminary approval is provided by the Liquor 

Branch, you’ll need to submit a detailed floor 

plan of the proposed store. When the floor plan 

is approved, you have one year to get all the local 

approvals - including building permits and the 

final inspection and license. Remember, for the 

relocation of a liquor store, you have to maintain 

a valid interest in the property at the existing site 

up to and including the final inspection by the 

area liquor inspector and licensing at the new site. 

Following these steps is essential! 

Relocation vs. Structural Alterations 

The Liquor Branch carefully reviews applications 

for changes to a liquor store to determine if it is 

a relocation of the store or a structural change 

application. If you are relocating your store in the 

same building or on the same legally described 

property and at the same civic address, the Branch 

will treat it as a structural change as opposed to a 

relocation. In this situation, the 1 km separation is 

not a factor as it is not a relocation. Generally, if the 

new store is abutting the existing building, it is a 

structural change. In any event, I would encourage 

you to research this in advance to know what you 

are getting into. 

Relocation to a Different Local Government 

Jurisdiction 

Current Liquor Branch policies allow a liquor 

store to move from the current site and city up 

to 5 km into neighbouring municipalities. The 

Branch has also approved store relocations from 

The Publican 

23

Vancouver to Richmond, Vancouver to West Vancouver, Victoria to Saanich, and 

recently, Comox to Courtney. Always make sure at the outset that the receiving 

municipality is receptive to relocations, and check their requirements with the 

planning department. Again, be mindful of the 1 km separation between your 

proposed site and any existing LRS. 

Relocation of a Store within 1 km of an Existing Store 

There have been some stores that were able to relocate within 1 km of an 

existing LRS. However, these applications are extremely complicated and take 

some time, since in addition to filing a relocation application with the Branch; 

one has to file a request for exercise of discretion to Branch regulation and 

policy, which generally prohibits a relocation within 1 km of an existing store. 

The Liquor Branch does a very thorough and complete investigation of these 

applications to ensure the regulatory criteria has been satisfied completely. 

The Liquor Branch policy on relocation applications within 1 km of an existing 

store, under section 4.4.5 of the Liquor Licensing Policy Manual, is very clear, 

limiting, and states in part the following: 

15.2.2 Relocations 

Relocations are defined in section 4.4 and 4.4.2. 

LRS licensees may apply to relocate their store to another location in the same local 

government jurisdiction, or to a location outside the local government jurisdiction 

that is within five kilometres of the existing LRS. 

Applications to relocate an LRS will not be approved by the general manager if the 

proposed site is within 1 km of an existing LRS or the site of an LRS application in 

progress. There are only four circumstances under which the general manager may 

approve the relocation of an LRS to a location within 1 km of another LRS. These are: 

• Where the address of the proposed location is the same legal address as the 

existing site; 

• Where the proposed location is not closer to an existing or proposed LRS than 

the current location; 

• Where the travelling distance between the proposed location and any existing 

or other proposed LRS is 1.0 km or more because of the existence of a natural 

barrier; or 

• Where the relocation is necessitated by a fire or natural disaster and the store 

has been substantially destroyed as a result. 

The general manager has no discretion or authority to make exceptions for LRS 

that do not meet these criteria. 

Relocation applications are subject to standalone policy (see section 15.3). 

www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/lclb/docs-forms/lclb207-policy-licensing.pdf 

Stocking Your New Store or Expanded Store 

What you carry in your store is very much a function of your new market 

trading area and customer choice. An updated study of your local demographic 

profile will be of utmost importance when deciding on new products and 

shelving requirements. Many rural communities are transitioning to bedroom 

communities for urban workers, and urban communities are transitioning to 

attract higher income residents, so what you display on your shelves and in 

your coolers must have relevance to your customers. 

If your LRS is located in an affluent area, you will be well served to consider 

broadening your wine and craft beer selections, as well as stocking a broader 

selection of premium and deluxe brands of spirits on your shelves. 

It is wise to remember that local competition is generally the less expensive 

Government Signature Liquor Store, which has done its homework on 

demographics and product demand for your community. Make your shelving 

positioning and stocking decisions with this competition firmly in mind. 

Now go forth and explore your options. 

Bert Hick is President of Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. He can be reached at 604-669-2928 or risingtide@shawcable.com. 

24 The Publican

Police Practices and Impaired Driving 

under the Automatic Roadside 

Prohibition Regime 

by Shea Coulson 

Since September 20, 2010, the provincial 

government’s Automatic Roadside Prohibition 

regime (ARP regime) has imposed penalties 

for drivers who blow above 0.05 blood alcohol 

content into an Approved Screening Device (ASD) 

administered at the roadside. The ARP regime 

has dramatically altered the landscape for liquor 

licensees in the province, both in terms of the 

law itself and police practices enforcing the law. 

On November 30, 2011, the BC Supreme Court 

struck down the portion of the ARP regime dealing 

with drivers blowing over 0.08 blood alcohol, 

but upheld the remainder of the ARP regime. 

This decision, which is known as Sivia v. British 

Columbia (Superintendent of Motor Vehicles), is 

now under appeal to the BC Court of Appeal. In 

the meantime, the provincial government has 

amended the ARP regime to address the Supreme 

Court’s concerns and the ARP regime remains in 

force. However, if the appeal is successful, the 

entire ARP regime will be struck down and the 

government will have to reconsider its approach 

from scratch. 

Given the outstanding appeal, the full ramifications 

of the ARP regime have not yet been realized as the 

government awaits the Court of Appeal’s ruling. 

Despite this, there are already early indicators of 

changing police practices. Some licensees have 

reported that police officers are “camping out” in 

licensee parking lots, waiting to administer the 

roadside ASD on patrons exiting 

the establishment. In some cases, 

police are allegedly sitting in pub 

parking lots during the day as well 

as at closing time. Licensees have 

expressed concern that these 

police practices may deter patrons 

from their businesses. Licensees 

are rightly asking whether there 

is a legal solution to this dilemma. 

The police operate with a broad discretion to 

enforce the law, including the ARP regime. As 

such, barring highly arbitrary actions that directly 

harm the licensee, there is little that licensees can 

do legally to change police practices. Further, 

with respect to the driver, so long as the police 

form a reasonable suspicion that an individual 

has been consuming alcohol, they are entitled 

to administer the roadside ASD test. In most 

cases, it is likely that a police officer’s observation 

of an individual entering a pub or bar for a 

reasonable period of time and then leaving in a 

car constitutes reasonable suspicion. Even if not, 

the ARP regime leaves virtually no room to raise 

the issue. Any such argument would have to be 

made on a driver-by-driver basis. 

The outcome of the Sivia appeal will therefore 

have the most significant impact on police 

practices enforcing impaired driving laws. If the 

appeal is successful, then the ARP regime will 

be invalid and police will return to using the old 

Automatic Driving Prohibition regime, which 

only contains penalties for drivers above 0.08% 

blood alcohol content and requires police to test 

drivers at a police station using the breathalyser 

device. These requirements will very likely render 

the police parking lot “camp out” impractical and 

curb the practice. 

However, if the Sivia appeal is unsuccessful, then 

the “camp out” practice is likely to continue. The 

best resort for licensees is therefore to construct 

a due diligence regime to prevent patrons who 

may be impaired from leaving the establishment 

with the intention to drive. 

Shea Coulson is a civil litigator at Gudmundseth Mickelson LLP with 

expertise in liquor licensing and liquor distribution law, and is cocounsel 

with Howard Mickelson, Q.C. on the Sivia appeal challenging the 

constitutionality of the ARP regime. 

The Publican 

25

STANDING APART 

FROM THE COMPETITION by Joanne Sasvari 

26 The Publican

For a small, independent establishment, it’s not easy competing against the 

big guys. Still, many pubs, bars and private liquor stores across BC are not only 

surviving, they’re thriving. Despite the challenges of fighting for the same 

business as chain restaurants or government liquor stores, they have found 

ways to offer something unique through their products, expertise, relationships 

with the community, and the special experiences they provide. Here are just a 

few things they do to stand out from the crowd. 

Offer Exceptional Products and the Occasional Surprise 

Queens Cross Pub 

“Chain restaurants are predictable,” says Andrew Wong, manager of the Black 

Sheep Pub & Grill in Maple Ridge. “You get the same experience every time 

you go. Where we differ is that we can do whatever we want with our menu.” 

You used to be able to step into just about any pub in BC and find the same few 

mass-produced beers on tap and the same handful of dishes on the menu. Not 

any more. Today’s pubs specialize in gourmet food and high-quality beverages 

that hail from every corner of the globe. 

Food has become especially important in the past few years. Thanks at least 

in part to tougher drinking and driving laws, food sales have skyrocketed. 

At the Black Sheep, the menu features everything from burgers to schnitzel, 

quesadillas and Asian dishes, while the Fox & Hounds Pub & Restaurant 

in Aldergrove has added a children’s menu on the restaurant side of the 

establishment. “People are a lot more responsible drinking that way,” explains 

manager Karen Ruchty. 

Being a smaller place also means that pubs and private stores can respond 

quickly to customer requests without the time-consuming hassle of going 

through a head office. “Flexibility [is key] - we can move as the customers move,” 

Wong shares. “We pretty much cater to our customers.” 

That’s even more important when it comes to drink selections, especially as the 

public grows more informed - and demanding - about beer, wine, and spirits. 

Queens Cross Pub in North Vancouver, for instance, recently added 10 new 

taps so it could jump on the craft beer trend. It has also increased its wineby-the 

glass program and added cocktails to the list. “Over the years, people 

have gotten a better wine knowledge, so we decided to get a better product,” 

describes manager Brent Armstrong. “We’re also starting to get into Scotch, 

wine, and beer tastings, and they seem to be really popular.” 

Staff Know What They’re Talking About 

The same customers drinking better beverages on pub night are the ones 

frequenting the province’s private liquor stores, knowing they will find 

exceptional products and expertise. Customers flock to The Strath Ale Wine & 

Spirit Merchants in Victoria for rare spirits, seasonal specials, and the province’s 

biggest whisky selection. They’ll also find a highly trained staff that includes 

several sommeliers along with assistant manager Richard White, who is a 

well-regarded expert on whisky. “I want to provide a store that I want to shop 

at myself,” he says. “We try to carry those harder-to-find spirits and liqueurs.” 

Meanwhile, over at St. Regis Fine Wines & Spirits in downtown Vancouver, 

manager George Baugh is a pro at suggesting what wine to pick up for dinner 

on your way home. After all, he has been in the wine business for more than 20 

years, including a stint as the wine-obsessed owner of the legendary Piccolo 

Mondo restaurant. “It’s a small store, so we are not able to carry everything 

that we would like to carry, but we do try to stock products that are harder to 

find,” he describes. This includes large format wines and BC wines that are not 

readily available at government liquor stores. 

The Publican 

27

Be the Kind of Place Where Everyone Knows Your Name 

At a smaller joint, it’s easy for staff to get to know their customers. Armstrong 

estimates that 90% of guests at Queens Cross are repeat customers. “It’s almost 

like Cheers,” he says. “It’s a place where people can meet and have a good 

conversation. It’s not a nightclub.” Over at the Black Sheep, Wong shares, “A 

person will walk in the door and we’ll have his drink on the table even before 

he sits down.” 

Small independents also have strong relationships with colleagues - including 

bartenders, restaurateurs, brand ambassadors, and distributors. “The sales reps 

love popping into the store when they’re in town,” White reports. 

Those relationships extend to the community around the establishment, which 

is why so many pubs and private liquor stores find themselves promoting and 

sponsoring events in their neighbourhoods. “We do fundraisers for hockey and 

soccer. We have lots of teams out here,” Ruchty describes. “And we try to do 

community events. We’re approached by charities a minimum of once a week.” 

Similarly, Queens Cross has a sports team sponsorship program, and the Black 

Sheep has yet to turn down a request, while The Strath is a major sponsor of 

the Victoria Whisky Festival. 

"Being a smaller place also means that 

pubs and private stores can respond quickly 

to customer requests without the timeconsuming 

hassle of going through a head 

office." 

Provide Added Value - and Just Plain Value 

Don't forget those little extras that make each location unique. Some pubs 

have private liquor stores, some have exceptional décor, and others are a sports 

enthusiast’s dream. Many offer entertainment ranging from sports on big screen 

TVs to karaoke, trivia games, DJs or live music nights. At the Black Sheep, Wong 

jokes, “The staff are our live entertainment. We’re a pub, and restaurants cater to 

a different clientele,” he adds. “There are a lot of people who want to get away 

from children. There’s a different atmosphere here.” 

Location also makes a difference, especially for the private stores. “We’re next to 

the Granville Street Skytrain station,” Baugh notes. “If someone needs to get a 

bottle for a party and they’re in the area or catching Skytrain somewhere, they 

can just take a stroll to the store and jump back on the train.” 

Best of all, pubs and bars can set their own prices and private stores can offer 

special promotions to attract customers (although they need to get approval 

from the LDB first). “Chain restaurant prices are almost double ours,” Wong 

explains. “We can sell things at or below cost, which a chain restaurant will 

never do because they have to meet their margins.” 

Still, it isn’t easy competing with a giant corporate entity like a chain restaurant. 

It’s even harder when your competition is the provincial government, which 

sells some of the same products, controls distribution, and sets the rules about 

what you can and can’t do. “There’s a lot of politics,” White laments. “It’s tough 

when you’ve got so much competition out there.” 

Successful owners of pubs, bars, and private liquor stores actually welcome the 

challenge. They know that if the big guys move in, there’s money to be made. 

Besides, it keeps everyone on their toes, making sure their establishments look 

great and offer an exceptional experience for the customer. As Armstrong says, 

“It’s really healthy competition, I think.” 

28 The Publican

Wine Report 

by Ralf Joneikies 

Wine on Tap 

If you’re ordering a glass of wine when you’re in a 

bar, how is it being poured? 

Are you still getting the by-the-glass bottle pour or 

have you graduated to the latest way to enjoy your 

favourite glass of wine: wine on tap? What has long 

been the only way to enjoy unique and truly fresh 

craft beer has now become a sophisticated way to 

sample an array of wines with your dinner. Dining 

establishments throughout BC are eager to catch 

the wave for a variety of reasons. 

According to Sebastien Le Goff, Sommelier and 

Service Director of 3 Cactus Club restaurants, wine 

on tap technology has been available in Europe 

for 20 years now, but it’s been just over a year that 

this service has been enjoyed by foodies and wine 

lovers in the Lower Mainland. 

Steve Thorp and Mike MacQuisten, both with 

backgrounds in sales and marketing, are the 

visionaries behind FreshTAP. It was during their 

travels in California, Oregon, and New York that a 

unique wine delivery system caught their attention. 

Their overwhelmingly positive experiences 

enjoying wine coming from a tap opened their eyes 

to the possibility of bringing this technology to BC, 

and they started making licensing arrangements 

with the developer Free Flow Wines of California. 

For Le Goff, who has spent decades serving wine, 

the benefits of a wine on tap system are a nobrainer. 

“There are many reasons for this system: 

it reduces storage needs in a big way. You also 

eliminate a great deal of recycling, and breakage 

is non-existent. For the customer there is greater 

consistency from glass to glass because there is 

no oxidation or cork taint.” 

The FreshTAP system is successful at preserving 

the freshness and intended flavours of a wine due 

to a 14-step cleaning process of the tap tanks to 

be filled, followed by a 10-point sterilization and 

testing process of the filling machine, so that there 

is no cross-contamination between individual 

products. This assures the integrity of each wine 

and secures the confidence of 26 BC wineries that 

send their wines to be filled at the facility. 

Oxidation is eliminated courtesy of an inert gas 

blanket that prevents oxygen from making contact 

with the wine. Worries about the quality of that last 

glass-from-bottle pour are eliminated because each 

glass of wine delivers a brightness and clarity of fruit 

flavours. This results in savings on cost of goods 

sold and an increase of the bottom line because 

the customer will not be sending it back. Another 

saving comes from the calibrated wine tap delivery 

system that eliminates overpours. 

Despite the business benefits, Le Goff knows that 

there are still minor consumer perception hurdles to 

be overcome. “There are some people who think, ‘I 

drink beer on tap. I don’t drink wine on tap’. Others 

may think that it’s cheap and not sophisticated. But 

when they taste the wine, those concerns are gone.” 

While FreshTAP is the sole service provider of 

putting wines into kegs, there are approximately 

five companies installing taps and lines for both 

wine and beer in BC, with a service agreement to 

clean the lines every two to three weeks included 

in the cost. More than 30 BC licensees have 

installed this system in the last year with another 

65+ licensees considering the system or having it 

installed in the near future. 

Wine on tap is the wave of the future, delivering 

high quality wine to discerning and delighted 

customers. 

Ralf Joneikies is the manager of two private LRSs and has a formal 

background in winemaking, wine chemistry and viticulture. 

The Publican 

29

LCLB Report 

by Karen Ayers 

Why We Have the Minors as Agents 

Program 

During the past year there has been a lot of 

discussion about the Minors as Agents Program. 

We often talk about stats and our mutual goal of 

100% compliance; however, we rarely talk about 

why the program is so important. 

Often the conversation is about how we use olderlooking 

kids (not true - we hire agents who look 

their age), how the agents purposely visit when it’s 

busy (we actually prefer it to be quiet to minimize 

patron involvement), how the licensee does a 

lot of training, how it can be a challenge to find 

good staff, how the licensee has put up signs or 

holds regular staff meetings to educate staff about 

not selling to minors, and so forth. Some of this 

is the right conversation to be having, but none 

of it holds much meaning unless we understand 

why there are age-based restrictions on the sale 

of liquor in the first place. 

Study after study show that alcohol consumption 

by minors is associated with a greater risk of 

unwanted pregnancies, smoking, violence, sexual 

assaults, bullying, poor school performance, 

suicide, and death or injury from driving and other 

accidents. Also, early alcohol abuse is known to 

have negative impacts on the development of 

the part of the brain responsible for higher-level 

thinking. 

Sadly, a one-time sale of liquor to a minor can 

potentially lead to a life-altering event. British 

Columbians believe that the public interest is best 

served by taking every reasonable step to mitigate 

the risks that go along with alcohol consumption, 

especially as it applies to minors. This is why the 

Minors as Agents Program exists. 

The Minors as Agents Program will not eliminate 

access to liquor by minors; however, it will restrict 

that access in retail outlets. Together, the Branch 

and industry can make a significant and positive 

contribution to hindering minors’ access to 

liquor. Minors and their parents have the right 

to be confident that we are doing everything 

reasonable to make our communities safe. 

We know you explain to your staff that a sale 

to a minor is against the law, that the fines are 

significant, and that staff themselves may get 

fired if they sell to a minor. We know you hold staff 

meetings where this is emphasized over and over 

again. A value-added step may be to educate your 

staff on why there are age-related prohibitions in 

the first place. 

We continue to do our part by making signage 

available as tools for you and your staff to educate 

each other about why it is so important to prevent 

minors’ access to liquor. These tools will help 

everyone understand why the question, “May 

I see two pieces of identification please?” is so 

important. 

30 The Publican

Human Resources 

by Shane Isley and Donnie Staff 

Good Job Descriptions Can Save You Time and Money 

Why Are Job Descriptions Important? 

Bringing out the best in your employees, and continuing to meet your business 

goals, starts with the development of thorough job descriptions. A good job 

description will provide employees with clear expectations, and can also 

take the place of more expensive and time-consuming training. Well-written 

job desciriptions can add value to many parts of your business. A good job 

description can: (1) help attract a strong pool of candidates more efficiently 

by describing the qualities, qualifications, and experience required to be 

successful in the position; (2) guide your training and development, ensuring 

your managers focus only on the skills & knowledge the employee needs 

to do the job; and (3) enable your managers to engage in meaningful and 

productive performance conversations with their direct reports. Well writtten 

job descriptions, while typically underrated, can be one of the most influential 

contributions to your business success. 

How to Create a Good Job Description 

Step 1: Mapping The starting point for writing a good job description is 

“mapping” the position. This helps you identify what someone serving in a 

position is expected to accomplish and whom they are expected to deliver work 

products to. Mapping a position requires an understanding of the company’s 

culture as well as the duties, responsibilities, and demands of the position. It 

also requires a familiarity with the position, specifically, knowledge of whom 

the employee will interact with both inside and outside the business. Before 

you begin mapping a position, it’s important to specify the position you 

wish to describe and not a person you want to convey information to (e.g., 

write a job description for your pub’s head bartender, not for Peter the head 

bartender and manager). After you have specified the position, identify all of 

the people that expect to receive work products from the employee, including 

co-workers (internal customers) as well as customers, vendors, and partners 

(external customers). Your mapping assignment is complete once you identify 

the position's work products and which internal and external customers they 

are delivered to. 

Below are some tips for selecting work products. 

A work product is: 

• A product of behaviour, not a behaviour itself 

• A thing, not the measure of a thing 

• A valuable contribution to business results 

• A noun, not a verb 

Tips for writing work products: 

• Add criteria to help clarify what counts as an acceptable work product. 

• Ask yourself if you can state the work product in a plural tense. If so, then it is 

likely you have identified a countable noun that will function as a work 

product. 

Step 2: Defining The second step in writing a job description involves describing 

why the work products are important to the business as well as stating the 

criteria for an acceptable one. In order to show how work products contribute to 

the business’ overall success, link the work products to business results. Business 

results are the metrics a company uses to measure its success as a business, 

(e.g. profit margins, customer satisfaction, employee turnover, marketshare, 

etc.). Once you have shown the link between work products and business 

results, detail the criteria for what constitutes an acceptable work product. A 

list of criteria allows an employee and his manager to evaluate the quality of 

the employee’s work product(s) more easily. 

Lastly, list the actions or approaches recommended to complete each work 

product. Providing an employee with guidance as to how to produce work 

products can help ensure they follow company policies, engage in best practices, 

and are on track to becoming a more independent team member. Continue 

to link work outputs to business results, detail performance criteria and list 

actions until you have described all of the major work products for the position. 

Below is an example of one item, out of several, you may find on a store, pub, 

or bar manager’s job description. 

Business Results 

Work Product 

Criteria 

Behaviour 

Revenue streams 

Customer satisfaction 

Profit margin 

Cash flow 

Purchase order 

Includes the appropriate amount 

of supplies for the current business 

needs 

Replenishes inventory 

Establishes supplies to meet future 

customer demands, expected future 

sales, and daily sales goals 

Expands selection based on customer 

habits and current business plans 

Requests needed supplies at the 

lowest possible cost 

Placed in a timely manner so 

that stock is not depleted before 

purchased items are received 

Includes the business’ license number 

Is signed 

Research vendor costs and selection 

Take inventory of current stock 

Review past sales data 

Predict future sales 

Submit purchase order 

Shane Isley is President 

and Donnie Staff is VP of 

Consulting Services at Optimal. 

They can be reached at 

206-905-4660 

©2013 West Coast Behavioral 

Consultants, Inc. All Rights 

Reserved. 

The Publican 

31

LEGAL ISSUES 

by Dennis Coates 

Separating Operations for Tax Purposes 

Many operators still have not separated their 

former pub operations into the pub business, the 

property ownership, and the LRS ownership. This 

should be done for planning and tax reasons and to 

allow flexibility in dealing with these three separate 

business components. It requires careful tax advice 

so that tax is either deferred or avoided. It will 

also require a valuation of the LRS if that is being 

transferred out of the original corporate setup. 

The valuation (as previously discussed in the Fall 

2012 issue of The Publican) is either based on an 

intrinsic value for an operation that is not running 

profitably in a normal way, or as a reflection of net 

profit or EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, 

depreciation, and amortization). The original 

EBITDA multiplier started around 5 but has crept 

up recently to the 7 range and sometimes higher. 

The intrinsic values have similarly crept up from as 

low as $100,000.00 to as much as a million dollars 

in the Vancouver market. Both values depend on 

external factors such as margins, proximity of 

government stores, track record, new relocations 

in the area, and geographic location in the 

province e.g. Vancouver vs. Logan Lake. 

The LCLB transfers of the LP or the LRS license are 

reasonably simple, but the tax issues sometimes 

are more complex. 

Signage 

The LCLB has recently been paying more attention 

to LRS signage on new and existing stores. Their 

issue is that the descriptive word or symbol should 

be significant enough so that the signage does 

not imply that it is a government store. Due to the 

expense of signage, make sure you check and get 

approval before changing signs, or in the case of 

relocations, putting up new ones. 

Delivery Service 

An LRS is allowed to offer delivery options for their 

products. Recognize that all business of the LRS 

must be conducted from the physical premises 

of the LRS. This means the handling of orders and 

deliveries and the storage of excess inventory 

must all be at the store. 

Fines for Serving Minors 

The campaign related to the use of minors for 

undercover purchase of product continues. 

Recently, there have been repeat visits to stores 

that failed to identify a minor and were fined 

$7,500 as well as to those that passed the process 

and asked for ID. There was a successful judicial 

review of a case from Duncan on the issue of due 

diligence. To that point, the LCLB did not accept 

any actions of the licensee to meet the test of due 

diligence as a defense to these cases. After the 

rehearing of the Duncan case, we will hopefully 

get some guidance as to acceptable due diligence. 

In the meantime, the safe approach is to use an 

age such as 30 as the cut off for asking for ID, and 

hopefully this will minimize the chance of an 

employee not asking for necessary ID. 

Dennis P. Coates is with MJB Law and can be reached at 250-319-4808 

or dpc@mjblaw.com. 

32 The Publican

Names in 

the News 

by Debbie Minke 

ABLE welcomes the following new LP/LRS 

members: Grand Pub & Grill in Merritt, Dana 

Egan; Johnson Street Liquor Store in Coquitlam, 

Ian Krampitz; River’s Reach Pub and River’s 

Reach Liquor Store in New Westminster, George 

Petropavlis; Southpoint Station Liquor Store in 

Surrey (under TAG The Arbuthnot Group), Mike 

Taylor. Three new LRS members are from the 

Berezan Hospitality Management Group: Berezan 

Liquor Store - Cloverdale in Surrey, Berezan 

Liquor Store - Dillworth in Kelowna; and Berezan 

Liquor Store - Willoughby in Langley. 

Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards 

Congratulations to Nk’Nip Cellars in Osoyoos 

for winning the second place in the 25 Best 

Wineries in Canada. Painted Rock Estate Winery 

in Penticton captured third place for the second 

year in a row. Road 13 Vineyards in Oliver took 

fifth place. More winners include: 

Best Canadian Red Wines 2012 

1. Quinta Ferreira 2009 Syrah, BC 

2. Laughing Stock 2010 Syrah, BC 

3. Church & State Wines 2010 Coyote Bowl Series 

Syrah, BC 

Best Canadian White Wines 2012 

1. Hidden Bench 2010 Rosomel Vineyard Riesling 

Roman’s Block, ON 

BC Beer Awards 

2. Tawse 2010 Carly’s Block Riesling, ON 

3. Quails’ Gate 2010 Chardonnay Stewart Family 

Reserve, BC 

Top 5 BC Wines 2012 

1. Meyer Family Vineyards 2010 Old Main Road 

Vineyard Tribute Series Sonia Gaudet 

Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley $35 

2. Painted Rock Estate Winery 2009 Estate Grown 

Syrah, Okanagan Valley $36 

3. Laughing Stock Vineyards 2010 Syrah, 

Okanagan Valley $34 

4. Quails' Gate Winery 2010 Stewart Family 

Reserve Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley $35 

5. Quails' Gate 2010 Totally Botrytis Affected 

Optima, Okanagan Valley $30 

SpierHead Winery, based in Kelowna, captured 

"Best New Winery" at last year’s Fall Okanagan 

Wine Festival. SpierHead's gold medal-winning 

2010 Pinot Noir was judged to be the #1 Pinot Noir 

in Canada, coming out on top among 94 entrants. 

The Black Bear Pub in North Vancouver donates 

$0.50 per every signature Quesadilla they sell 

to the North Shore Disability Resource Centre. 

To date, they have donated over $11,000! In 

December, Granville Island Brewing partnered 

with Black Bear and matched all donations. 

Wines of British Columbia 

Quick Facts 

• BC's wine industry has grown from just 17 grape 

wineries in 1990 to over 210 today 

• There are now over 9,800 acres (3,946 hectares) 

of vines in British Columbia's five designated 

viticultural areas (Okanagan Valley, Similkameen 

Valley, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, and the 

Gulf Islands) and beyond 

• Over 65 different grape varieties are grown in 

British Columbia; Merlot is the most planted red 

grape, and Pinot Gris is the most planted white 

grape 

• Viator Travel Blog rated the Okanagan Valley 

number 1 on their list of "Top 10 Wine 

Destinations Around the World" 

• Sipping wine in the Okanagan was rated 

number 8 on MSN Travel's "10 top places to try 

something new" in 2012 

• BC’s wineries receive over 1.5 million visitors 

each year 

Source: BC Wine Institute 

Category Beer Brewmaster, Brewery 

Best of Show Steamworks Pilsner Conrad Gmoser of Steamworks Brewing Company 

Lager/Pilsner Steamworks Pilsner Conrad Gmoser of Steamworks Brewing Company 

Special Lager Brewmaster’s Black Stefan Tobler of Okanagan Spring Brewery 

Session High Country Kolsch Bart Larson of Mt. Begbie Brewing Company 

Wheat/Rye Belgian White Dean Mcleod of Lighthouse Brewing Company 

Pale Red Racer Classic Pale Ale Gary Lohin of Central City Brewing Company 

Cascadian Dark Ale Skookum Cascadian Brown Ale Matt Phillips of Phillips Brewing Company 

Porter/Brown Pow Town Cedric Dauchot of Townsite Brewing Inc 

Scottish/Irish Big Caboose Red Ale Gord Demaniuk of Fernie Brewing Company 

Fruit Blackberry Festivale Cedric Dauchot of Townsite Brewing Inc 

Stout Keepers Stout Dean Mcleod of Lighthouse Brewing Company 

IPA 5 Rings IPA Derrick Franche of High Mountain Brewing Company 

Sour/Brett Oud Bruin Iain Hill of Yaletown Brewing Company 

Specialty Smoke & Mirrors Imperial Smoked Ale Kevin Emms of Coal Harbour Brewing 

Strong Hermannator Ice Bock Ralf Pittroff of Vancouver Island Brewery 

If you have any noteworthy community contributions, please email the details to Debbie at debbie@emcmarketing.com. 

The Publican 

33

BC Hospitality 

Foundation 

by Renee Blackstone 

BC’s pub owners and their employees put on the 

afterburners and raised thousands of dollars for 

the B.C. Hospitality Foundation last year, reports 

BCHF Executive Director Alan Sacks. “Through 

their efforts, the pubs have made a significant 

contribution to our successful fundraising work 

in 2012.” 

As a prime example, Sacks pointed to the efforts 

of bartender Bruce James of Doolin’s Irish Pub in 

Vancouver. In May of 2012, the foundation heard 

that Bruce was facing financial hardship due to 

a medical condition. His friends and coworkers 

organized a fundraiser to help him through the 

crisis, and the BCHF matched the $3,000 raised 

by the event. 

“Six months later, when Bruce was in better 

health after receiving treatment for his illness, 

he astonished us by planning another fundraiser 

with the goal of paying back the money we 

had given him with no strings attached,” notes 

Sacks. The event, held in November in The Cellar 

nightclub and dubbed the “Magic Bru”, was a 

smash hit, raising $3,700 for the BCHF. Bruce was 

happy that the foundation could “pass it along 

to someone else.” 

“We salute Bruce’s generous spirit, and we find 

his actions inspiring. Thank you Bruce: 'Giving 

back' never looked so good,” says BCHF Board 

Chairman Bing Smith. 

Other pubs were equally spirited and generous 

in their fundraising efforts. In November, The 

Roxy - which along with Doolin’s is part of 

the Granville Entertainment Group - held a 

Beer Olympics that raised nearly $2,000. In 

addition, workers at Doolin’s and The Roxy 

contributed tips throughout the month allowing 

Granville Entertainment to raise $9,800 from 

their combined efforts. Pubs in the JAK Group 

(Moonrakers, Roo’s, and Great Bear) held an 

industry Fun Night and raised $1,800. The Mark 

James Group, which includes Yaletown Brewing, 

Big Ridge Brewing and the BrewHouse, held a 

number of events during the Tip Out To Help 

campaign, with workers donating tips matched 

by the company, and asking patrons to round up 

their bills. Their efforts raised $3,280. 

Meanwhile, BCHF funds continued to help those 

in the industry who faced financial crises due to 

medical problems. Ashlyn Lang, the three-yearold 

daughter of Lisa Lang, a former worker at 

the Ramada Hotel in Kelowna, is battling a liver 

disease. A fundraiser held on the family's behalf 

raised $22,514 and the BCHF contributed another 

$3,000 to help defray costs of Ashlyn's treatment 

and recovery. 

Another beneficiary of BCHF funds was Janice 

Tayner, a former wine agent employee living 

in Surrey. Janice suffers from cancer and other 

serious conditions, and the BCHF provided 

support of $5,000 to help her through her postsurgery 

recovery period. 

In other BCHF news, scholarships continue to be 

a large part of the foundation's efforts. With the 

sponsorship and support of Okanagan Crush Pad, 

five sommelier scholarships - each worth $1,000 

- were awarded in November. A new scholarship 

category was also created for children whose 

parents work in the hospitality industry. Among 

the three receiving a $1,000 scholarship to pursue 

hospitality careers was Gabrielle Gower, daughter 

of George Gower, who has worked in Sooke 

Harbour House kitchens for 18 years. 

For more information on the BCHF and its work, 

please visit www.bchospitalityfoundation.com. 

Renee Blackstone is a freelance journalist who sits on the BCHF 

Advisory Board. 

34 The Publican

ABLE Benefits 

by Ian Baillie 

Have you ever tried to lift a couch yourself? Hard, 

wasn’t it? Now what about with 2 people? And 

4? One person becomes much stronger as others 

join because there is a real strength in numbers; 

likewise, ABLE BC and its members are much 

stronger when other LPs and LRSs come together. 

Through steady growth in our membership this 

past fiscal year, we have shown government and 

other key industry players that our association’s 

voice carries the weight of the industry behind it. 

Moving forward, we encourage new members to 

join our ranks to show that the association has an 

increasing percentage of businesses supporting 

the voice of our industry. 

ABLE’s strength and voice is used for one purpose 

- to advocate on your behalf. ABLE communicates 

with government and regulatory authorities to do 

such things as: 

• Increasing the discount for LRSs from 10% to 

16% 

• Increasing the distance between LRSs to 1 km 

and strengthening stand-alone requirements 

• Inspection and enforcement program for 

government liquor stores developed to ensure 

equal monitoring of both public and private 

liquor establishments 

• Continuing to raise concerns with LCLB over 

fines that are too high for first-time offenders 

of the “Minors as Agents” program 

• Elevating concerns of police presence in and 

around LPs and LRSs 

• Fighting for a fairer .05 regime that respects 

constitutional rights 

ABLE is also full of resources for your use and 

benefit. The ABLE office is your best resource for 

any industry-specific questions you may have. 

ABLE follows the industry very closely to help 

provide you with all the information you may 

need. We use this information to provide our 

members with updates on issues and trends as 

well as other important information that you may 

need to know. 

While offering resources and industry updates, 

ABLE also has a variety of programs and discounts 

to help you save money while operating your 

business. Programs include tailored medical and 

dental coverage through Johnstone’s Benefits 

and access to the Hospitality Insurance Program 

(HIP) through Western Financial. The HIP program 

includes property insurance, general liability 

insurance, and host liquor liability insurance as 

well as business interruption and crime coverage. 

To help you save money while running your 

business, you can also take advantage of discounts 

offered to ABLE members. These include discounts 

on ID Checking Guides, which can help your 

employees spot fake IDs as well as special perks 

with Shaw for Business including no contracts, no 

cancellation fees and complimentary service calls. 

ABLE members also have the option of joining a 

Bottle Refund Program from which you receive 

18¢ per dozen handling refund back to your LRS. 

Joining ABLE will not only benefit you and your 

business through programs and resources; it will 

also benefit our industry as a whole, especially 

during an election year. Pre-election is a time of 

great opportunity to influence policy and policy 

makers, and ABLE is prepared to defend our 

industry’s interests. 

Please consider joining our industry association 

and together we will drive our industry forward! 

The Publican 

35

PROTECTING MARGINS 

DRINK CONSISTENCY LEADS TO CONSISTENT PROFITS 

by Robert Plotkin 

Product consistency is as crucial to profitability 

behind the bar as it is in the kitchen. The drinks 

you serve should taste the same regardless of the 

night or who’s behind the bar. Otherwise, your 

staff may be serving a product that is different in 

taste, cost, and presentation from what you had 

originally intended. The result is financial chaos. 

For example, let’s say you recently introduced a 

specialty Margarita that has become so popular 

it’s become a signature drink on your bar’s 

menu. The cocktail features a premium brand 

of reposado 100% agave tequila, equal parts of 

Cointreau and Grand Marnier, a splash of ruby 

red grapefruit juice and fresh lime sour mix. The 

drink costs $3.63 and sells for $10, which yields 

a 36% cost percentage and gross profit of $6.37. 

[See example.] Especially in today’s economy, 

devising a cocktail with a brisk sales volume 

that generates such a healthy amount of profit 

is optimum. 

Unfortunately, concept often breaks down in 

execution. As it turns out, the cocktail your 

36 The Publican 

bartenders are preparing is different than the 

drink you devised. Instead of the jigger of tequila 

the recipe calls for, the bartenders are pouring 1¾ 

ounces. Likewise, instead of a one-ounce portion 

of Cointreau and Grand Marnier, they’re using a 

combined 1½ ounces. [See example.] Although 

in each case the variance is a mere ¼ ounce, the 

impact on your financial bottom line is significant. 

As it turns out, the cocktail your bartenders are 

preparing costs the business $4.71, which is 30% 

higher than your version, and since they’re selling 

the drink for the same price, the bar’s gross profit 

decreases 17% to $5.29, a difference of over $1 

per transaction. Perhaps losing a dollar in profit 

doesn’t sound like too bad of a hit, but consider 

the long-term ramifications. If on average your bar 

sells eight of the specialty Margaritas per hour for 

a total of 10 hours each day, that equates to an 

annual loss in profit of $31,536. 

In addition, that figure doesn’t factor in the impact 

of serving a drink that contains more than the 

legal 3 ounces of alcohol. The bartenders’ version 

has 30% more alcohol than what your recipe calls 

for. Not only do overly potent drinks inevitably 

cost you potential sales, they also place the 

public at risk. 

Wrenching Order 

Inconsistency behind the bar leads to fluctuating 

costs and hit-or-miss drinks, which is why it’s 

important to ascertain firsthand if your bartenders 

are all pouring the same recipes and charging 

the same prices. It doesn’t require installing a 

surveillance system or hiring spotters or a shopping 

service. The information is yours for the asking. 

Schedule a bar staff meeting and give them 

a written test of sorts. Ask the bartenders to 

provide recipes and prices for the 10 or 20 most 

frequently requested mixed drinks at your bar. The 

best-case scenario is that their answers reveal that 

they’re all operating from the same page of the 

playbook. However, more often than not, these 

tests reveal that there’s little consensus between

the bartenders as to how to prepare and portion basic cocktails, what glasses 

the drinks should be presented in, how they should be garnished, and what 

prices should apply. 

If the test results you obtain are along these lines, don’t worry. Unless your 

bartenders are crazed anarchists, they won’t much care for having their lack 

of professionalism exposed. After explaining what operational difficulties the 

business is experiencing from the lack of drink consistency, you’ll likely have 

their undivided attention. 

After the bartenders have been made to realize that they’re not preparing the 

same recipes, the next step involves establishing what recipes they’ll be asked 

to pour. It’s a positive step, a forward-looking process in which the bartenders 

will play a pivotal role. With few exceptions, most bars need to have set recipes 

for about 40 to 50 drinks. Challenge the staff to determine what those recipes 

should be. Conduct tastings of the various recipes vying for each slot. Make a 

night of it - invite guests, and serve hors d’oeuvres or light fare. 

At the end of the process you’ll have a revamped, reborn, and reinvigorated 

beverage program featuring a set of drink recipes in which the bartenders feel 

a sense of ownership. Not only will consistency improve, but you’ll also likely 

notice that they have a better attitude presenting the drinks they prepare 

because they were involved in creating the recipes. 

Afterwards, review your pricing structure to ensure that it still makes financial 

sense. Changing recipes typically involves changing portioning, which in turn 

changes drink costs. Once the new recipes have been assigned sales prices, 

reprogram your bar’s point of sale system and throw open the front door. 

What Effect Does Chaos 

Have on the Bottom Line? 

Signature Margarita - House Version 

1½ oz. El Jimador Reposado Tequila $1.80 

½ oz. Cointreau $0.70 

½ oz. Grand Marnier $0.86 

½ oz. Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice $0.03 

1½ oz. Fresh Lime Sour Mix $0.24 

Drink Cost $3.63 

$3.63 drink cost ÷ $10.00 sales price = 36.3% cost percentage 

Gross Profit = $6.37 

Signature Margarita - Bartender’s Version 

1 3/4 oz. El Jimador Reposado Tequila $2.10 

3/4 oz. Cointreau $1.05 

3/4 oz. Grand Marnier $1.29 

½ oz. Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice $0.03 

1½ oz. Fresh Lime Sour Mix $0.24 

Drink Cost $4.71 

Robert Plotkin is a judge at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and author of 16 books on bartending and 

beverage management including Secrets Revealed of America’s Greatest Cocktails. He can be reached at www. 

AmericanCocktails.com or by e-mail at robert@barmedia.com. ©2011 BarMedia 

$4.71 drink cost ÷ $10.00 sales price = 47.1% cost percentage 

Gross Profit = $5.29 

The Publican 

37

LDB Report 

Register Now for Your Provincial Sales Tax Number 

Prior to April 1, 2013, all Licensee Liquor Stores, Rural Agency Stores, Licensed 

Establishments and Independent Wine Stores must obtain a Provincial Sales 

Tax (PST) number to purchase liquor, and to collect and remit the PST. 

The BC Liquor Distribution Branch recommends all wholesale customers register 

promptly to avoid disruption in purchasing liquor when the PST returns to BC. 

How to Register and Obtain a PST Number 

Registration is now open and will take approximately 10-20 minutes. When you 

register, you will be assigned a new PST number. New PST numbers will be 11 

characters long and will be in this format: PST-1234-5678. 

Online Registration with eTaxBC 

A new website has been developed to facilitate online registration. Visit www. 

gov.bc.ca/etaxbc/register. Additional info and a direct link to register can be 

found on the “Policy Releases” page of LDB Web Store www.ldbwholesale.com. 

Fax/Mail Registration 

The PST registration application form is available at www.gov.bc.ca/etaxbc/ 

register. Navigate to the left-hand side of the webpage and click on “Mail or 

Fax” under “Register to Collect the PST” section and access the application form. 

In-Person Registration 

You can register in person at a Service BC Centre or at 1802 Douglas St in Victoria. 

Service centre locations are available at www.servicebc.gov.bc.ca/locations. 

Before You Start 

Prior to beginning registration, please have the following information ready: 

• Your federal business number (BN). If you don't have one yet, the PST 

registration process will create one for you. 

• If you have a BN, a copy of an HST return from a filing period before August 

2012 to verify information about your business. 

• Your driver’s licence number or BC ID number, if you are a sole proprietor, 

or for all partners in a partnership. 

• Your incorporation number, if your business is incorporated. 

• Your liquor licence number (for each location as applicable). 

• The address of your business location (for each location as applicable). 

• The amount of your total annual sales, or the estimated amount if you have 

been in business less than 12 months. 

• The amount of your anticipated monthly taxable sales; 

• If you are leasing the business premises, submit a signed copy of the lease 

agreement to show your legal right to operate in the location(s); 

• If you are operating the business, and do not own the business, submit a 

management/operator agreement; 

• If you are purchasing a business, submit a copy of the signed bill of sale or 

purchase agreement. 

Multiple Liquor Retailing Location 

If you own/operate an outlet with multiple locations, decide before you start 

registration if you want to register all locations under one PST account or under 

separate PST accounts. 

If you register all your locations under one account, you will have one PST 

registration number that covers every location and you will file one PST return 

each reporting period. 

If you register your locations separately, you will have multiple PST registration 

numbers and you will file multiple PST returns each reporting period – one for 

every location you register. 

Tax Specialist Consultations 

If you need assistance in understanding how the PST applies to your outlet, you 

may request a free consultation with a provincial sales tax specialist from the 

Ministry of Finance. Visit www.gov.bc.ca/PSToutreach to request a consultation. 

Interactive PST Webinars 

The Ministry of Finance offers free online interactive seminars to provide 

information on transitioning to the new PST. To join, complete a registration 

form by accessing www.sbr.gov.bc.ca/applications/PST_Webinars/. 

PST Seminars Across BC 

The Ministry of Finance is conducting seminars across the province to assist 

wholesale customers in transitioning to the PST. Seminars are presented through 

local Chambers of Commerce and similar organizations. Please contact your 

local Chamber of Commerce to learn if they are participating. 

Questions 

Please contact the Ministry of Finance by mail, phone, fax or email. 

PO Box 9435 Stn Prov Gov, Victoria BC, V8W 9V3 

Phone: Monday through Friday, 8am to 8pm, 1-877-388-4440 Fax: 250-356-2195 

Email: CTBTaxQuestions@gov.bc.ca 

Advertisers 

ABLE BC 30 

Barnet Logic Group 24 

BC Hospitality Foundation 28 

BWI Business World 35 

Central City Brewing 19 

Connect 29 

ContainerWorld 15 

D Way Beverage Inc 19 

David Herman & Son (Pablo) 18 

David Herman & Son (St Lucia) 19 

Diageo Canada IBC 

Elite Crete Systems BC 11 

Energy Wise 28 

Granville Island Brewing IFC 

Homelife Benchmark 13 

James Bradley Consulting Inc. 32 

Johnstone's Benefits 13 

Lorenz Agave Spirits 18 

Mark Anthony Group 5 

Markat Wines Ltd. 18 

Matthews Campbell 28 

McClelland Premium Imports 18 

MJB Law 34 

Northwest Stoves 12 

Orca Dynamics 16 

PMA Canada - Infusions 25 

PMA Canada - Two Oceans 8 

PMA Canada - Wild Turkey 81 17 

Prudential Sterling 9 

RBC Royal Bank of Canada 28 

Rising Tide Consultants 23 

Sting Investigations Inc. 4 

Sysco Vancouver 27 

Time Access Systems Inc 24 

Vancouver Island Brewing 6, 19 

WestCoast Cash Inc. BC 

Western Financial Group 

Insurance Solutions 37 

38 The Publican

INTRODUCING 

MAPLE FINISHED 

THE SMOOTH TASTE OF CROWN ROYAL NOW WITH A HINT OF MAPLE FLAVOR 

© Diageo Canada Inc. 2013. All rights reserved./ Tous droits réservés.

Here - ABLE BC

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