Beertown, a business that is still a new concept to the Guelph area, was established in 2012 and comes from a rich history in hospitality dating back to 1956, with its first location opening in Cambridge Ontario.

For them, the changes from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s regulations came as some much-needed good news.

Like many restaurants, bars and brewers, to combat the effects of the pandemic, began selling cans and bottles with its takeout options to help bring in some funds during the lockdown.

However, Beertown’s specialty is draught beer and according to beer and beverage director Jennifer Tamse, she says that they had to dump quite a bit of product during the closures.  

With the changes to Ontario’s regulations came some relief, allowing restaurants to sell draught beer for takeout, if it’s in a closed container.

“We played a pivotal role in trying to pressure the AGCO for these changes,” said Tamse.

The new rules also mean Beertown can now offer growler sales, which the restaurant began doing soon after the changes were announced.

“We were only given two weeks’ notice that this was coming, so we had to pivot and adapt quickly. The growler program started slowly, but it will hopefully become more popular with time,” said Tamse.