THE WAKKER WEEKLY
Issue #1561 – Posted on: 28-December-2020
BREWERY “HOP”PENINGS! Bushwakker Head brewer, Michael Gaetz, reports our seasonally available “Missile”tow Christmas Ale, Blackberry Mead, Orangerine (Orange & Tangerine) Ale, Premium Pale Ale and Chinook ESB are currently on tap! There are also 13 other year round brews to choose from making a total of 18 Bushwakker brews currently available.
There has never been a more appropriate time to give the gift of a Bushwakker “Bee Safe” t-shirt or face mask. Help keep your loved ones safe this holiday season and throughout the new year! Visit https://bushwakker.com/product/bushwakker-gift-cards/ to order yours.
BUSHWAKKER GIFT IDEAS FOR YOUR SASKATCHEWAN BREWPUB LOVER!
Commemorate the strangest Mead Day in Bushwakker history by picking up a “Bee Safe” Mead t-shirt or face mask for the mead lover on your list! Our “Craft Beer Pioneer” t-shirts and classic Joe Fafard designed t-shirts are a timeless gift which are uniquely Saskatchewan. Bushwakker Growler Gift Boxes include your choice of a glass or insulated black stainless steel Bushwakker Joe Fafard growler, two pint glasses and a gift certificate redeemable for a growler fill. Our ornate fancy Hop Handle Growler Christmas Package with two pint glasses and a growler fill gift certificate is also back…and you can’t go wrong with a Bushwakker gift card available in $25, $50 and $100 denominations. GIFT CARDS CAN NOW BE PURCHASED ON OUR WEBSITE!
Our new Bushwakker ONLINE STORE is here to make your shopping life easier! Visit https://bushwakker.com/product/bushwakker-gift-cards/to order your Bushwakker gift cards, Bee Safe t-shirts and masks, Pom pom touques and more! Heck, we’ll even have them mailed to you or your intended Bushwakker fan!
DECEMBER PREMIUM WINE FEATURES. The red is Carmen Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard from Chile. The white is Toasted Head Chardonnay from California. Both are $8.95 for a glass and $23.95 for a half litre.
This weekend’s Special Dining Feature for December 25th and 26th and our Saturday CLASSIC STEAK & A PINT SPECIAL will be unavailable because we will be closed over the weekend and will re-open on Monday, December 28th at 11:30 AM.
In addition to taking our beer home in glass bottles, 2 litre jugs and growler fills direct from our pub, you can find a varying selection of 650 ml bottles of Bushwakker beer in ALL SIX REGINA SLGA stores.
Santa will be taking a breather on Boxing Day and so will we. We’ll be closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday but will re-open on Monday, December 28 at 11:30 AM
NOTHING FOR NEW YEARS 15 is still going ahead on Thursday, December 31 with our famous slow roasted AAA Black Angus Prime Rib and Jumbo Yorkshire Pudding! Make your reservation for our spacious in-house dining by calling 306-359-7276 or order your Prime Rib for takeaway by visiting our Pre-Order Prime Rib Page at bushwakker.com/newyears and select the time you’d like to pick it up. Our signature Chocolate Malted Cheesecake will also be available. Deadline for online orders is WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30TH. Limited quantities available!
BUSHWAKKER “NEW NORMAL” NOTES
Our Hours of Operation are Monday to Thursday from 11:30 AM until 9:00 PM and the kitchen closes at 8:00 PM. Fridays and Saturdays we open at 11:00 AM and close at 10:00 PM. Kitchen closes at 9:00 PM. We are still closed on Sundays at this time. Our takeout food and beer services will continue to be made available.
Reservations are accepted and encouraged. We accept reservations as late as 6:00 PM from Monday to Saturday. Call at 306-359-7276 to secure your table. Please note under the new provincial guidelines the maximum number of people who can be seated at the same table is now limited to four. Larger reservations must occupy more than one table and maintain three meters of physical distancing between each table.
Please continue to practice safe health and social distancing practices. Remain connected to one another and to us! In addition to this weekly newsletter, we are very active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Check-in with us often as we navigate these continually evolving times together. Try to support local businesses whenever possible. Be vigilant in your resolve to protect yourselves which in turn will protect others. Please don’t let your guard DOWN so the province can open back UP!
Here’s how a Regina Restaurant is Adapting to COVID-19 Restrictions
By Marc Smith CTV News Regina Video Journalist
Editor’s note: Although 2020 has most certainly been one of the most challenging years Bushwakker has ever faced, we do indeed appreciate the so many of you who been there for us at various times throughout the pandemic. Whether dining in the pub or simply grabbing some takeout food or beer, your patronage and incredible support is not taken for granted. We would not be here today if it weren’t for all of you! Best wishes for a safe and peaceful holiday season!
REGINA — Starting on Thursday, December 17 Saskatchewan residents will only be allowed to gather with residents of their immediate household in their home, however, they will still be able to meet up at restaurants and bars.
The provincial government said that’s because COVID-19 exposures in places like restaurants and bars have, for the most part, been limited to staff.
“There have been a few super spreader events in bars where public health protocols were not followed, but we have not seen high levels of transmission,” Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, said on Monday.
According to statistics from the province, since the start of the pandemic, the number of household exposures is more than four times higher than those in workplaces, which includes restaurants and bars.
“There is risk, yes, in going to a restaurant, but the numbers would prove that it is far less than hosting people in your own home,” Premier Scott Moe said.
Restaurants and bars have been working to adapt to changing restrictions throughout the pandemic.
The current public health orders require establishments to have three metres between tables and limit the number of people at a table to four.
“There’s a lot of leg room now, but what we’re hearing is that customers that are coming, they feel very safe, they feel very comfortable,” Grant Frew, bar manager at the Bushwakker Brewpub, said.
Like many restaurants and bars, business has been slow at Bushwakker during the pandemic, especially over the past few months with no Christmas party bookings.
Frew called this year “catastrophic” financially due to the pandemic, but he said despite business being down, he’s happy they’re able to remain open right now.
“It’s definitely very difficult to do business in this time,” he said. “We do want to respect the mandates of the provincial government and we’re doing our best to comply and so are our customers, so there really is a sense of the customers and staff working together to see this through.”
Frew said grant money has helped to “push back the cliff”.
“We have been extremely grateful to the federal government and their wage subsidy program, as well as the provincial government has offered a number of grants that has helped keep us alive,” he said.
One of the biggest changes for Bushwakker was its annual Blackberry Mead sale, which was moved online this year.
“That went very well,” Frew said. “We actually had a number of customers say they’d never had our mead before because they didn’t want to wait in line and with the curtsied service, this was the first time they had a chance to try it.”
Frew said January is usually a slow time for restaurants in the city and a potential shutdown is always in the back of his mind.
“We don’t make any long term plans, even with our ordering for the kitchen and the ordering that I do for the bar, the orders are very small because we don’t want to get caught with excessive product in a shutdown,” he said.
TIME OUT – Christmas Turkey
It was Christmas Eve in at the meat counter and a woman was anxiously picking over the last few remaining turkeys in the hope of finding a large one. In desperation she called over a shop assistant and said, ‘Excuse me. Do these turkeys get any bigger?’ ‘No, madam, ‘he replied, ‘they’re all dead.’
We agree that Ol’ St. Nick certainly deserves a break after this challenging year! We will take a three day Christmas break too and be closed on the 25th, 26th and 27th.
