WHISKI-JACK'S PUB: Starting a Family Tradition
by Jonathan Niven

The McPhersons have been in the pub business for all but the first three years of their married life together. Bob and Twyla first owned the Stone’s Throw Pub in Burnaby before buying Whiski-Jack’s Pub in Westbank, just outside of Kelowna. Fifteen years later, the whole family is involved in the operation.

Westbank has just gone through the process to incorporate as a city, making it the newest city in the province. Three options were brought to council: join Kelowna, stay unincorporated, or become a city. For Bob, Twyla, and their two sons, Troy and Travis, having Westbank become a city is good for business. 

By becoming a city, Westbank is now poised to grow and develop infrastructure, which will serve the needs of a growing population moving back and forth across the soon-to-be-opened bridge expansion to Kelowna. 

As Bob and Twyla worked on their business and raised a family, their son Troy took a particular interest in the business. Working summers and weekends, Troy began to learn the business and just recently took over as pub manager. His brother Travis also works at the pub as a bartender during the summer while not at university studying to become a teacher. 

Working closely together for so many years can take its toll on a couple, but Bob and Twyla have their own areas of expertise; Bob in operations and Twyla managing the books. As she said, “We don’t work for each other, we work with each other.” By all accounts they are as happy today as they were when they started. 

When the McPhersons first purchased Whiski-Jack’s, they vowed not to change the pub into something they envisioned, but rather to build on what their customers wanted. “It’s not about what we want, it’s what they want and where they feel comfortable,” explains Bob. 

Becoming a focal point in a relatively tight-knit community of 30,000 people requires getting heavily involved in that community. The pub puts on a yearly charity event called “Rock for Kids” on the first Sunday of December. This popular event features 12 bands playing 45-minute sets throughout the day and evening, a silent auction, prize draws, and other fundraising activities to benefit local children’s charities. A total of $14,000 was raised last year, and over $150,000 has been donated by Whiski-Jack’s Pub and its patrons since “Rock for Kids” began.
Bands are a key feature at Whiski-Jack’s Pub. Many of the regular weekend bands got their start together through the Sunday jams that are a regular attraction at the pub. Bob goes out of his way to book local acts, and he’s proud of being able to offer gigs to musicians to get their start on his stage. 

The pub features 275 seats with a nicely enclosed patio outside. Inside, the bar actually wraps right into the smoking room. With a very sophisticated ventilation system, air is drawn from the non-smoking section under the hanging glass walls with virtually no leakage of smoke and odour. While Bob has invested significantly in this system, he sees next January’s total smoking ban as an opportunity for his pub to attract even more customers. 
The LRS is attached to the pub and has been since it was built in 1978. A unique feature of the liquor store is that it has a pass-through from the store to the pub itself. This provides the perfect location for the lottery machine, and the salesperson in the liquor store can check and sell tickets while she is not serving customers in the store. It’s also very convenient for pub patrons and a reminder to pick up a 6-pack on the way home. 

With five LRSs and one government liquor store in Westbank, the McPhersons rely on a faithful clientele for their operation. The customers of both the pub and the store are very loyal, and that is a rarity these days. Besides the $2.95 Tuesday steak sandwich special, which brings regular patrons from as far away as Vernon, consistently good service and fair portions are critical to building loyalty. Giving generously to the community and being actively involved is another way the McPhersons have built up such a strong clientele. 

While Troy may be continuing the family tradition, he is also about to put his own stamp on the business. He has the advantage of years of family experience (including his own) in a business he already loves. Building on a loyal clientele that supports the pub and the family, Troy is looking forward to further growth. As the province’s newest city grows and matures, Whiski-Jack’s Pub is ready to do the same.