A popular Kelowna brewery has taken advantage of the province’s expanded patio program.
Barn Owl Brewing in the Mission has added a second patio on the parking lot side of the building, which has boosted their capacity.
Pre-COVID, the brewery would have a capacity of around 87 people, but that was cut down by 50% when the doors reopened in May.
Co-owner Gary Brucker tells KelownaNow that the new patio boosts their capacity back up to 75, allowing them to serve nearly as many people as they typically would.
Brucker was impressed with how quick the application process was, as it only took around two weeks from start to finish to apply for the expanded patio, get the appropriate approvals and get it up and running.
That timeline even includes a slight hiccup that meant the brewery had to reapply.
Both more importantly, Brucker is grateful for the constant support that the brewery has received, even when they were only offering offsales while their doors were closed in the spring.
“We’ve been really grateful,” he said. “Our clientele has been so respectful of what we’ve needed to do to keep our staff and them safe.”
“Our community has been so incredibly supportive of us. They like us in their neighbourhood, so we’ve become in less than a year what we wanted to be, which is a community pub/brewery and we’re just really thankful.”
The temporary license to expand the patio has been granted until Oct. 31, 2020, so you’ll have plenty of time to check out the new outdoor space at Barn Owl.
The brewery is open seven days a week with around 15 delicious beers on tap that are brewed in house.
Hours vary depending on the day, but you can get all the details on the Barn Owl website.
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