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05/18/2022 08:16 AMEven in the best of times, it helps to have a little luck when launching a new business, particularly ion the volatile restaurant industry. Local business partners Amanda Brackett and Keith Nairn had some luck, unfortunately just not the good kind. These two friends opened their Killingworth pub, The Barrel House, just weeks before the shutdown in January 2020, completely destroying their carefully laid business plan.
After months of planning, bills, and hiccups of the usual business opening, COVID hit just as their pub was beginning to make a buzz as an alternative destination for a thirsty and diverse community. Their story of how they not only survived, but thrived when other businesses were shut, says a lot about not only their adaptability, but how the very nature of owning a hospitality-based business has changed.
Brackett said that the original impetus to open was to serve a more diverse clientele. The Killingworth Café had closed and there was a higher end restaurant, La Foresta, in town, but the two partners felt there was still a need for a low key, friendly spot for locals to commiserate over a few beers.
“We felt there was a gap, and felt there was something needed in the middle. We loved June’s [Outback Pub, a now-shuttered Killingworth watering hole], we loved La Foresta, but we just wanted to fill that void,” said Brackett.
Nairn said when the true impact of what was occurring began it sink in for the entrepreneurs, things got frightening.
“We literally opened just seven weeks before everything shut down. At the time we thought it was only going to be for a little bit. No one really understood the implications of what was about to happen,” said Nairn. “I don’t think we really realized how scary at it was at the moment. But when people started stealing our toilet paper, we realized something was different. It slowly set it. First it was we’ll be shut for a couple of weeks, and be back up and running, and then it was a couple of months, and we’d be right back to where we left off.”
The partners took advantage of the down time. One of their first adaptations was to introduce food to the offerings. Though they originally didn’t want to serve food, the change was necessary due to the regulations imposed by the state, but also was welcomed by the pair, if it was going to help with the bottom line.
Changing hours and enlarging their alcohol offerings were other adaptations that helped keep their doors open. They also rejected some advice and temptations.
“I think the greatest thing we found and that allowed us to survive the pandemic and all this is, we’ve had ideas of what we wanted to do and how we wanted to do it, but as times have changed we needed to evolve. We did talk about changing the model and perhaps brewing our own beer, but it just didn’t make financial sense,” Nairn said. “I don’t think we ever would have done food, but now it is such a big part of who we are, and we realize now it has brought in a whole different clientele, we realize people are staying longer, so it probably wouldn’t have happened without COVID. In an odd way I think, as hard as it was to weather, I think it made us better at what we do. We were able to pivot and roll and adjust with everything that got thrown at us.”
Brackett said that flexibility was ultimately what allowed them to succeed, especially when a number of businesses like theirs were not only victims of the pandemic, but from market oversaturation.
“Every week we had to reinvent ourselves. COVID didn’t allow us to be complacent in really anything we did,” said Brackett. “It didn’t matter about food, the products, or our outdoor space, which frankly was what truly allowed us to survive.”
Nairn agreed that it was a simple choice of either adapting to the changes wrought by COVID or closing.
“I think the market did get saturated at some point and then with the pandemic, people just realized it was hard to stay afloat. But it’s tough to determine what affected business the most,” Nairn added. “There is a lot of competition out there, but I think staying flexible was the key. It is tough to be closed for months, and then reopening to a market where people weren’t necessarily ready to go out. So, I think that was a factor obviously.”
The partners also cited the assistance from Killingworth town officials as a major factor in their ability to survive. Brackett said, without the support from Town Hall, the pub may not have survived.
“We talked to the Health Department and we talked to town officials and we were able to evolve with their help. Neighbors helping neighbors was huge. The businesses around us—we all tried to help each other. But the town was one of the big reasons. The town was just awesome. Whenever we had a question about something, like, ‘Can we do this?’ they were super responsive. There was never a straight ‘No.’ They tried to help us figure it all out. Being able to open up our outside was huge. We wouldn’t have survived I don’t think without that. The town was really wonderful in that aspect with the businesses.”
Nairn added, “They were even checking in with us at times and seeing what we needed. They would give heads up about financial assistance. It was awesome to know we had that support. COVID really taught us you had to evolve and think out of the box.”
“Any business that survived COVID had to adapt,” added Brackett. “You had to not only stay compliant, and stay healthy as well. It was such a strange time, and still is. But we have really established ourselves with die hard customers who have remained loyal to us. We are both thankful for that.”
The Barrel House is located in the plaza at 176 Route 81 in Killingworth and can be reached via FaceBook @barrelhousect. The pub is currently operating with limited hours, so check online for updated schedules.