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Former train station will again host Barley Vine Rail Co. restaurant

February 7, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

It is a local landmark and it will be back in business this coming week, as the Barley Vine Rail Co. will open its doors under new management.

The popular restaurant closed over a year ago then was reopened but was only serving for a couple of days each week.

The former Orangeville train station was built during the heyday of rail travel in the 19th century. It was declared a heritage building and was moved to its current location on Armstrong Street in several large pieces. 

“It has been really missed by a lot of people,” said Barley Vine marketing person Julie Thurgood-Burnett, who is helping to launch the new restaurant. “The fact that it is reopening is all over social media. The new owners are bringing in a lot of Canadian to the menu.”

New owners Angela Ward and Mark Latkolik are excited to be the new hosts of the this restaurant and are adding some unique new features to both the building interior and the menu.

“We have a background in business management and ownership but we come from different backgrounds professional speaking,” Angela said of starting a new business venture. “It’s been a passion of ours over the past few years to get into hospitality. We started doing our research and in the past year we really delved into it. We were talking to other professionals in the area and looking for the right deal when it came along.”

When the BVR, as it is known locally, became available, Angela said they immediately knew it was the place for them.

“It’s such a beautiful building inside and out. We’re doing some renovations inside. It’s going to have a real Canadian kind of feel.”

Angela and Mark have decided on a unique niche for the restaurant to provide a very Canadian experience both in ambiance and on the menu.

“We’re adding menu items that are provincially themed,” Angela explained. “We’ve done some research and had a chef consultant come in. We’ve developed some menu items that are specific to different provinces and those we be reflected on the menu.”

Angela said that while they will be making some changes, much of the restaurant will stay the same.

“This place was already sort of fooling a Canadian theme. We love the fact that everything is local such as the craft beers. We’re planning on doing even more of that – adding even more craft beers. We’re sourcing more local vendors and even the artwork is going to be very Canadiana-themed.”

With the final touches now being put on the new interior renovations, the Barley Vine Rail Co. will be opening its doors next Wednesday, February 13.

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