Here - ABLE BC

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
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