Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ryan Urzada, founder of Knotted Thistle Pub, located in Regina, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
The Knotted Thistle Pub is what we like to call your friendly neighbourhood Celtic pub. You know, one of those spots where anyone can walk in and feel welcome. It's the cozy little spot you can pop into for a pint or a bite whether it be with friends, your parents or even work colleagues.
Located in Regina, Saskatchewan, the Knotted Thistle Pub was established in 2012 located inside a locally owned, independent hotel here in the city called The Atlas°. We've been proudly serving a wide variety of comfort food and drinks plus all the traditional Celtic favourites you'd expect from a pub like Fish & Chips and Irish Pot Pie. Fan favourites though are our Atlantic Blue Mussels, Bacon Jam and Irish Nachos. We are the only pub we know of in Western Canada that imports full Yards of Ale from the United Kingdom. Between the kilts from local Celtic organizations that don our walls in the pub, the caber which hangs above our bar from a local World Highland Games Record Holder, the fireplaces (on a cold Saskatchewan evening) and the Yards of Ale, The Knotted Thistle has become a fan favourite in Regina for many.
Tell us about yourself
When I was younger, I used to work with my father who was the owner of the hotel the Knotted Thistle Pub is currently located in. Funny enough though, I didn’t originally want to be in the hospitality or restaurant business as I would see my father in his peak stress levels as he took big risks expanding the hotel over many years.
Following University, I actually was an investment broker. However, I was chatting with a friend and I was frustrated because I didn't have any control over the quality of my product. My friend then suggested getting into the restaurant and hospitality business given that my family had a history with it as this would be a product that I can control. A lightbulb went on and that was the moment I began working towards making the shift to the industry I find myself in now.
As a locally owned, independent business owner, what motivates me every day is the people. Serving others not only from a guest perspective but also serving our own team is a true passion of mine which drives much of what I do in a day.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Prior to the Knotted Thistle Pub coming to fruition in 2012, the space the pub was occupying was one which didn't really have an identity and was severely underperforming. Having identified the reasons why this space wasn't yielding the results it needed to I got to work researching pub concepts, branding, service standards, etc. For almost 2 years I focused intently on taking everything the existing bar had in place and re-developing it from the ground up. When I finally settled on the concept of a Celtic Pub, my team rallied around not just developing the identity and the new operations but also gutting the existing space and renovating it over 4 months to turn it into what it is now. Having seen that the upfront work really stood the test of time in terms of the design decisions, the items I wanted the pub to be known for, the key menu components, the training programs, etc. the fact that these are still in place and applicable today along with the pub as a locally recognized brand is a huge accomplishment. It was a great initial foray into the next rebrand idea I had planned for an even bigger business venture!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Finding a great crew to support you is what I think is the hardest thing about being a business owner. I'd suggest that surrounding yourself with great, supportive people is one of the toughest things to do. You have to curate that great group of individuals that mesh well together, work together, and support each other while still challenging one another to be the best they can be.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
#1. Always be looking at your business from your customer’s point of view. Whether that is how your business looks and feels, for example, or how a guest might feel about a particular policy you might have in place. It is too easy for business owners to set policies that convenience the business, but disadvantage or frustrate the customer. This can be damaging. Our rule of thumb for policies, for example, is that we need to be able to explain the common-sense reason of why a policy exists – or else we don’t put that rule or process in place.
#2. The first five minutes set the tone. When a guest first arrives, the first 5 minutes on-site set the tone (whether they realize it or not) for the rest of their experience. How your front entrance looks, the temperature of the inside, the smells that welcome you, the perceived cleanliness of the space, and the prompt and enthusiastic greeting from a staff member… are all examples of what is included in a guest’s first five minutes. If you do this right, the level of trust with the customer increases – and any small service failure that might exist afterward is easily forgiven. However, the opposite is also true. Fail in those first five minutes by providing a poor first impression, and any little service failure snowballs into large complaints or a series of complaints. You need to nail a guest’s first five minutes on site.
#3. Don’t decide to start your business if your goal is “free time.” Being the boss and having staff that work for you rarely means you can sit back and let everyone else run your business. Many people are surprised at how much harder they work when they leave a reliable job and venture out on their own.
Anything else you'd like to share?
A couple of cool notes/highlights that we think are really neat about the place are:
- The Knotted Thistle Pub actually got its name as I worked to make connections with the Celtic community here in our city. There were many groups, organizations, bands, troops, etc. who had ties back to the original 6 Celtic nations and had settled here in Saskatchewan which was really cool to me. To help engage these groups further, we took things one step further and actually invited each of them to take part in a contest to collaborate and help create the name for the pub. The final name The Knotted Thistle Pub came from combining two suggestions made by two of these Celtic groups.
- As a Celtic Pub, many of our staff on the floor are unfamiliar with Celtic culture. All of our team members undergo a specific training section on Celtic Knowledge so that they can not only speak intelligently to the menu items and service standards but also know a little about the type of pub it is and the nations it's intended to pay homage to.
- Rather than donning our walls with artwork we really wanted to use this space to give acknowledgment to many of the Celtic organizations present in our community who don't necessarily have a lot of opportunities for exposure. As a locally owned, independent pub, I think that this ties in really nicely to how connected we are to our local community also. - The Knotted Thistle Pub celebrates 10 years in business this year.
Where can people find you and your business?
https://www.instagram.com/knottedthistlepub/
https://twitter.com/KnottedThistle
https://www.facebook.com/KnottedThistle
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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