A new pub with a familiar vibe has opened on Sussex Drive.
The stone building that housed the Earl of Sussex Pub for years is now a second location for Pubwells, the independently owned Preston Street establishment known for its thin-crust pizza and extensive beer selection.
Hamid Tolue, owner of Pubwells on Preston, opened the doors to Pubwells on Sussex earlier this summer after winning a competition to lease the ByWard Market property from the National Capital Commission.
Tolue said the whole leasing process took almost two years, from submitting the proposal to welcoming customers.
“It was a long journey, honestly,” Tolue said in an interview. “We had to write a business plan on how we’re going to make it work and give projections for the next five years, and stuff like that. Then it took eight or nine months to decide the winner.”
Pubwells on Preston was Tolue’s first foray into the Ottawa bar and restaurant industry. He bought the eatery six years ago, and learned the business through the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said he had his eye on the ByWard Market property because of the “amazing” location and spacious patio. Situated at the corner of Sussex Drive and Murray Street, it’s a stone’s throw from the National Gallery of Canada and has a view of the Peace Tower. The patio is one of the biggest in the Market area, with seating for more than 100 patrons.
Tolue believes it helped his case that he wanted to preserve the old-world style of the property, and keep it going as a pub.
“This has been a pub for 50 years in this city,” he observed. “If they didn’t rent it to another pub, all that woodwork would be going to the garbage.
“I didn’t have to do a lot of work to make it look like a pub. It was already a pub,” he added. “The only thing I had to do was give it some character and make it cozy.”
As for his business strategy, Tolue has adopted the same approach that’s helped the original Pubwells survive for more than 30 years, putting the emphasis on good food and a friendly atmosphere to build a customer base of regulars. He also wants to draw tourists.
“Pubwells on Preston is like a neighbourhood pub, and I’m trying to do the same thing for the Market with Pubwells on Sussex,” he said.
Adding to the character of the new pub is a jukebox from the 1950s and a piano that’s ready to play. Weekly events include karaoke, wing nights, live music and relaxed DJ nights.
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