GUELPH/ERAMOSA – There have been countless set backs, plan changes and bumps in the road along the way but the long-awaited, much-anticipated BBQ restaurant and brewery on Highway 6 has opened its doors.
Ward One Smokehouse and Brewery, owned and operated by Ian Leis and Jessica Hurren, is now open Wednesday to Sunday offering southern style BBQ favourites like brisket, pulled pork, wings, ribs, cornbread and more.
Back when the couple originally spoke with GuelphToday in July 2020, they were aiming for a spring 2021 opening. A subsequent interview with Leis in 2023 revealed his hopes for opening that summer.
It’s now finally come together in fall 2024 as the restaurant had its opening weekend which Hurren described as an overwhelming feeling.
“Emotional would be another word for it,” Leis said.
The original business plan can be traced back to 2015, Leis said, with a plan to find a small spot where he could brew beer, set up a little bar, have a pizza oven and a smoker in The Ward in Guelph.
This didn’t end up working out and the couple ended up at the former restaurant and motel, most recently David’s Country Diner, at the corner of Highway 6 and Wellington Road 51/Guelph-Nichol Townline just north of Guelph and still in Ward One, just in the Township of Guelph/Eramosa.
What caused the delays? The simple answer was money and a lot was required to fix the place up and to have everything in order to legally run a restaurant.
“There are so many more parts to a restaurant that I didn’t anticipate,” Leis said. “I don’t know if there’s anyone to blame other than just without millions of dollars, things take a long time.”
The couple acknowledged they had run out of money a few times over the course of getting the BBQ restaurant going. Leis ended up getting his master electrician license and started a new business to support opening the smokehouse.
They aren’t brewing their own beer yet due to a “series of unfortunate events” that has delayed them. The couple declined to elaborate what those events were on the record.
“We’re really just trying to lean into the smokehouse side of things and really do well at that before we add another variable,” Hurren said.
Leis has not had official training in smoking meats but is confident his hobby turned career is good based on the feedback he’s received with 10 years of experience under his belt.
“Jess was a vegetarian before for like 18 years and she ate my BBQ right off the grill and that was the end of her 18 years of being a vegetarian,” Leis said as they both laughed.
Leis said he’s also learning a lot about running the back of the house from some staff he’s brought in to fill in the gap while they find more permanent employees.
It was a long haul to get there but the couple is thrilled about finally being open and had a successful first few days.
“It was so crazy to look around and see our neighbours that we’ve never met,” Hurren said. “Strangers that wanted to show support instead of just friends and family. They’re going to be our regulars, right? We’ve already had repeat (customers) over the three days we’ve been open.”
The restaurant is open for walk-ins only from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
