A historic Parksville business is open once again and taking on 2021.
The Rod & Gun bar and grill, located at 163 Alberni Highway, re-opened last month after surviving a fire in April of 2020. Owner Jeremi Burrows told the PQB News about the changes made since the fire and the implementation of COVID-19 safety regulations. All of which, he said, could not be possible without the “tremendous effort and hard work” of his staff for the reopening.
Burrows said the establishment originally closed on March 17, as mandated by provincial health officials, and then on April 18, the fire took place. Though 95 per cent of the damage was smoke damage, Burrows said, the business remained closed for eight months for restoration.
“We’ve done a complete redesign of the room. It’s got a whole fresh new look from floors to paint, to lighting, to furnishings,” he said.
READ MORE: Early-morning blaze breaks out at Parksville’s historic Rod & Gun pub
The stage and pool table was also removed to allow for more seating and ensure that proper spacing is maintained between patrons in the pub.
Burrows said in adhering to COVID protocols and safety, they’ve created a safe environment for their customers by adjusting seating space and following sanitization protocols. Burrows emphasized that high-touch-point areas such as doors, bathrooms, tables and menus are all on a regular cleaning and sanitization schedule.
“Honestly this wouldn’t have been even possible without the fire department,” he said. “They did such an amazing job. They really deserve some sort of acknowledgement and I can’t even say enough how thankful I am. And the response back from our patrons has just been tremendous. The support has been unbelievable and I just can’t thank the community enough.”
