Old Yale Brewing forced to remove kids area at Abbotsford brewery

A brewery in the Fraser Valley has been told by the BC Liquor Branch that its kid friendly area is not compliant with regulations and has been forced to remove it.

Old Yale Brewing opened its Abbotsford location in early April this year, and part of its 10,000-square-foot space consisted of a small, 140-square-foot “Little Explorers” area. This kid-friendly area, featuring a little cabin, tables and chairs, and a selection of kid’s books, was meant to be a way for families to enjoy their time together at the brewery, an important part of Old Yale’s community-minded business model.

Since the brewery opened in April, it has been navigating an ongoing discussion with the Liquor Board about the Little Explorers area.

According to the brewery, “The BC Liquor & Cannabis Branch has interpreted one of their regulations in a way that was both unexpected and disappointing which resulted in us having to bid farewell to our popular and cherished Little Explorers Corner (Kids Area) at our new Abbotsford Craft Brewery + Kitchen.”

The regulation in question is Division 2 Liquor Primary #10 Rules and Requirements 10 (1) (a) (i), which states that “the establishment under the license must not be a facility directed at or frequented predominately by minors,” according to the statement provided to Old Yale by the Liquor Branch.

Further, the Liquor Branch stated that the Little Explorers area is “not permitted to be in the Liquor Primary service area. The Little Explorers kids area, as well as the ‘Little Explorers’ writing on the wall, will have to be removed because this area is directed at minors in a liquor primary.”

Old Yale tells Dished that it presented numerous arguments against the use of “predominantly” in this instance in order to keep the space.

“We were not marketing the space, it was not visible from outside, and just over 1% of our total sales since we opened accounted for kid’s menu items,” Heather Perdue, Brand and Marketing Strategist for Old Yale tells us.

The brewery attempted to work collaboratively with the Liquor Board and to present several new options that would allow them to keep a version of the kids space intact, but were ultimately forced to remove it.

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“This is really an unfortunate situation all around. We were surprised by the LCRB’s interpretation of the guidelines,” says Zach Van Leeuwen, Old Yale’s managing partner. “After what felt like collaborative discussions towards the end of May, we were shocked earlier this week to receive a closure notice, subject to us removing our Little Explorers corner, with less than 24 hours notice.”

The brewery was forced to quickly dismantle the play area, and noted that it would be paying its staff for any scheduled shifts they missed because of the closure.

“Overall, we are disappointed that breweries and restaurants continue to have to tip-toe a line that is interpreted subjectively and inconsistently,” Van Leeuwen adds. “We feel this is another example of unnecessary red-tape that doesn’t do anything to further the LCRB’s mandate of ‘Promoting safe establishments and safe communities according to public health and interest.'”

Old Yale tells us that it remains committed to providing a family-friendly atmosphere and to creating “exceptional experiences our community deserves!”

Old Yale shared the unfortunate news on its Instagram account last week, noting that “Over the coming weeks and months, we will be advocating, at both the local and provincial level, for change within the liquor industry to try and allow for an option for breweries with family-focused atmospheres.”

The Little Explorers space has now been turned into an extension of the brewery’s Games Lodge, but it urges the public to speak out and advocate for change within the liquor industry in order to create more inclusive, welcoming, and safe spaces for all ages.