Sir Winston鈥檚 Pub in Vernon has new owners, and they bring a lot of experience in the pub industry to the table.
Cory Jmaeff and his fianc茅, Juli Spearing, are from Lake Country. Jmaeff bought Woody鈥檚 Pub in Lake Country in 2005 and later bought the Packing House Pub in 琉璃神社. He sold both pubs in April 2022 and had plans to get into commercial real estate, but when he saw the listing for Sir Winston鈥檚 at a bargain asking price of $99,000, it was an opportunity he couldn鈥檛 pass up.
鈥淚鈥檝e always liked Sir Winston鈥檚 and I know it鈥檚 a place that Vernon has always loved, and it鈥檚 just kind of a staple here,鈥� Jmaeff told The Morning Star.
Spearing has worked in the restaurant industry her whole life, and the couple鈥檚 combined experience sets them up for success in their latest venture.
Jmaeff has fond memories of visiting Sir Winston鈥檚 as a patron, and is looking forward to adding the next chapter in the pub鈥檚 storied history in downtown Vernon.
鈥淚 knew that my fianc茅 and I would have a tonne of fun in there and bring some life back into it,鈥� he said.
He鈥檚 hoping to restore the pub鈥檚 鈥済lory days鈥� when people packed the space for good food at a reasonable price and a fun and friendly atmosphere.
鈥淲e love the place, we love the layout, the staff are great, the customers are great, and so it just needs a bit of love again and some of the little things taken care of,鈥� he said.
If he鈥檚 learned anything over his decades of operating pubs, Jmaeff said he鈥檚 learned to 鈥渒eep it simple.鈥� Asked whether he鈥檒l be making any substantial changes to the pub, Jmaeff said aside from some minor tweaks, the establishment will stay the same. Why mess with a winning formula?
Jmaeff said he鈥檚 keeping all of the staff on board, and he鈥檒l be looking to hire more.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 get busier without hiring some more staff,鈥� he said, adding going into the summer he鈥檒l look to hire six to eight front end staff members and three to four back end staff.
Sir Winston鈥檚 has been in Vernon for decades, and Jmaeff said that鈥檚 a theme among the pubs he鈥檚 previously owned.
鈥淭he pubs I come from, they were all established back in the mid 70s. The pubs I鈥檝e been involved in are the ones that have been around for a long time.鈥�
Jmaeff is excited to bring back the rooftop patio at Sir Winston鈥檚 which he said will be open in about three week鈥檚 time.
Jmaeff and Spearing had their first day of operating the pub on March 15.
鈥淛uli and I are super excited to meet everybody in Vernon and start having fun in Sir Winston鈥檚.鈥�
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