After many weeks of speculation following Bad Tattoo Penticton's sudden closure in December, the future of the brewery’s Kelowna location is now becoming clear.
A local group whose portfolio includes Salt & Brick and Jack’s on Bernard has purchased the business and will be transforming it into a “high-end sports bar” over the coming weeks.
Managing Partner James Addington called it a positive move for both their group and Lee Agur, founder of Bad Tattoo, and said they’re excited to reveal the new-look space this spring.
Addington told KelownaNow that there isn’t really a great spot to watch sports in that area of Kelowna and they’re looking to fill the void.
He explained that the “high-end” description is a way of letting people know that the food and beverages associated with their other restaurants will be the standard with this new venture as well.
And that will include the existing Forno pizza oven, which was a big part of the purchase. Not only will pizzas be sticking around in the new establishment, Addington said they will utilize the oven for many other menu items.
The staff members will also be sticking around, as a big part of the deal was retaining Bad Tattoo’s current employees. That includes the head chef.
As for a timeline behind the rebrand, Addington noted that it’s still up in the air, but they hope to complete the transformation ahead of the May long weekend and start of the summer rush.
“We purchased the space because it didn’t need a major renovation, so that’s a big piece of it,” he explained. “We just want to put our bit of flair on it and our branding on it as well, and we'll be able to move forward.”
The group is still hammering out the specifics of that that new brand will be, but Addington said they’ll be “excited to release that when it’s all sorted.”
As expected, the deal did not include the purchase of the Bad Tattoo brand, which will sadly fade into obscurity, much to the chagrin of many Okanagan beer lovers.
The space will remain Bad Tattoo Kelowna until the rebrand is complete, offering those beer lovers a final chance to enjoy some of their favourite beers from the now-defunct brewery.
Addington did add that they plan to work with Yellow Dog, the brewery taking over Bad Tattoo Penticton, in hopes of putting together some similar beers.
That, he said, will all depend on what Yellow Dog does with recipes from Agur.
