Expansion Plans Afoot at Johnnie Fox's Irish Snug
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PAUL ROBERTS, the owner of Johnnie Fox's Irish Snug, with server Cindy Potter and bartender Jake Luft. |
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
VANCOUVER - Johnnie Fox's Irish Snug is a wonderful little cosy and unpretentious establishment, situated on Granville Street in downtown Vancouver.
A long narrow room with seating for about 70 people, Johnnie Fox's features wooden pew-style benches in the snug areas and beautiful woodwork reminiscent of an old country pub.
The bar area is right near the entrance and the inviting high stools are just the place to relax after a hard day's work or shopping. You can chat to the bartender about your troubles or catch up on the local gossip - bartenders always know the latest buzz.
I recently dropped in to ask owner Paul Roberts about rumoured plans in the works for another Johnnie Fox's.....bartenders aren't the only ones who hear gossip.
Paul's background is Welsh and Irish and his family is from Liverpool. He says, "there is a lot of Irish in our family."
He's quite happy with his first year in business with Johnnie Fox's. He said, "it's been really good for us here, and yes, we've been talking about finding a new location to open another Johnnie Fox's.
"Whether that will be on the east or west side or out in the valley, we don't know that yet, but we would stick with the same formula and put the next Snug together much like here, only bigger."
Paul said, "My father always gives me good advice and I'm sure he will be involved one way or another and supporting me in the next pub, just like he was here. We did all the woodwork together for this Johnnie Fox's.
"My uncle in Wales has also been sending over bits and pieces for the past year from various old pubs, auctions and flea markets. So we definitely have a lot in our basement at home to start a new pub."
It's not unusual to find members of the Vancouver Irish Sports and Social Club (ISSC) frequenting Johnnie Fox's for a pint or a bite after work. "The community has totally supported us very well," said Paul, "we are one of the sponsors for the ISSC Gaelic football club and the guys and girls are great."
Paul Roberts is a busy man these days, having recently also acquired the Bourbon Hotel at 51 West Cordova in Gastown, where he is now part-owner and manager, splitting his time between Johnnie Fox's and the Bourbon.
"We got into the Bourbon for the long-haul," said Paul. "We have the hotel for the next 15 to 20 years type of thing. Gastown is gentryfing itself, so we got in there a little early. We've really changed the crowd around and made it a fun, safe place to be.
"There are also single occupancy rooms upstairs in the hotel, so that has presented a world of challenges. It's always good to try something new, but I never thought I would be running a hotel."
Paul and his wife just had their first baby in March and Paul said his family has been a great support helping out with babysitting. He said, "I've learned one thing since our little son was born, and that is after you have a baby....it's not about you at all anymore."
Johnnie Fox's is located at 1033 Granville Street in Vancouver. For more information, call (604) 685-4946, or e-mail: groups@johnniefox.ca.
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