SmartBrew brings in new clientele at Cecil’s

Cecil’s Restaurant rebranded as Cecil’s Brewhouse and Kitchen this summer after installing a SmartBrew system. SmartBrew brewmaster Brian Watson (left) and Cecil’s owner John Lechlitner.

NORTH BAY, Ont. — After Cecil’s restaurant in North Bay put its own beers on tap, the ownership saw new customers coming through the door of the Main Street establishment.

Co-owned by John Lechlitner and his brother-in-law Robert Palangio, the business has been in the family since 1988 and was rebranded from a music venue to a pub and restaurant about a decade ago.

“Things have been going along very well, but in the back of our mind has always been this brewpub idea,” said Lechlitner. “But we had some reservations about it. We wanted something that was as technologically advanced as possible. We’re in the hospitality business, we’re not brewers.”

Now called Cecil’s Brewhouse and Kitchen, the owners decided on Charlottetown, P.E.I.-based SmartBrew, an onsite brewing system that allows operators to brew their own beer. The traditional brewing process is split into two with New Zealand brewmaster Brian Watson and his team creates the wort, while yeast, hops and flavours are added on site.

Lechlitner visited SmartBrew’s prototype breweries in New Zealand before making the decision.

“I was thoroughly convinced about the quality, but also as an early adopter of this technology, that the after sales support was going to be there,” said Lechlitner, who is the owner of the third SmartBrew system in North America. The first opened in Portland, Ore., and the second was installed at The Nook and Cranny in Truro, N.S.

In North Bay, the system was installed in the middle of the 190-seat establishment, which poured the first pint of its own beer in late July.

“The first beers that we put on tap, we were running out of within 10 days,” said Lechlitner.

To start, Cecil’s is brewing a lager, light lager, amber ale, Belgian wheat and IPA. In the future, Lechlitner plans on creating specialty beers to take over more of its 19 taps, which still feature domestic and imports.

“Interestingly enough, from the first day we started pouring, we pour more of our beer every day than everything else combined,” he said.

Chefs John Parnell and Terry Dempsey updated the menu to coincide with the change and added some new menu items that would appeal to new clientele.

“We’re noticing a big change, talking to people who are coming in, they’re either never been here before or its been years for whatever reason. This has opened up a whole new demographic for us,” said Lechlitner.