Food Partnership Announced!
Well… it has been some time since I have had the opportunity to sit down and get some of the insanity going on inside my head out in writing form. The last couple of months have been rough here at Alexandria Brewing Company. I believe a large part of that has to do with our lack of a food partner. We have always been family friendly and community centered. When an element as critical as food is removed from the A.B.C. equation, we aren’t as appealing to families.
I know our last food option with Peculiar Grill was a little hit or miss. Like most business in 2020 and 2021, they had staffing issues nearly their entire time with us. They were also dropped by a large food provider due to that food provider having their own staffing problems. It felt like they were fighting an uphill battle their entire time here. On top of that, the owner of the Peculiar Grill, Steven, was fighting these same battles at two of their other locations, making it difficult for him to dedicate his time to here. I was sad to see them go because of their professionalism and cleanliness. However, I also recognize that this option wasn’t the best fit for Alexandria Brewing Company. There was a failure to understand what our guests wanted, especially when it came to things like wings and fries.
When they left in June, we began a search and had a lot of interest early on. I can’t get into the details, but all fell through in one way or another. Then we found someone who we thought was going to be perfect. They even did a pop-up event here and everyone loved their food. However, things changed when a management issue arose. They shifted their business plan and decided to do strictly catering for the time being. I won’t lie, that one hurt. I am sure it wasn’t an easy decision for them, but I also understood it. My wife always tells me, “Everything happens for a reason.”
After they fell through, Brad (COO) decided to put together a Facebook post in hopes to renew interest in our restaurant space. It worked. I believe we met with close to 20 different groups looking to expand their business or start a new one. Of those 20, we had 12 ready to sign a lease agreement with us. We had a tough decision to make, and I believe we choose the best fit, not only for Alexandria Brewing Company, but also the community of Alexandria. Before going any further, I want to thank all the folks that met with us. You all had fantastic ideas and great concepts! I sincerely appreciate your time and willingness to partner with us.
With that being said, I am pleased to announce our new partnership with Bender’s Pub Grub. I believe that this partnership will be a lasting one. Chef Shawn and his partner, Lora, are ready to bring a unique and exciting dining experience to Alexandria. You may have had Chef Shawn’s work before as he has been an executive chef for over 25 years. He has spent time at Chateau Pomije, Teller’s of Hyde Park, The Tousey House Tavern, and, most recently, Libby’s Southern Comfort. Bender’s will offer a wide variety of entrees centering around pub fair with a southern twist. Our goal is to have them up and running by 11/22/2022. We recognize that this is an aggressive goal and Bender’s may only be able to offer limited menu options for that first or second week. However, since we have the Donna Schneider Memorial Scholarship Trivia on 11/22, Gary Bertsch on 11/23, and Fast Forward on 11/26, we wanted to make sure we had food available to our guests during these busy days. Please make sure you follow us on Facebook for the most up to date information. You can learn more about our new partners here.
If you made it this far, I appreciate it. I know I ramble but there is a ton of good things going on here, including our expansion. I was featured on Cincy BrewCast a couple of week’s ago if you want more A.B.C. information in your life. Thanks for your patronage and have a great one!
