Pig's Ear Tavern Approaching Final Stages Before Reopening In September

After closing six years ago, The Pig’s Ear Tavern is in the homestretch to open next month with new owners Ashley Holmes and Steve Robertson at the helm.

Co-owners Ashley Holmes (left) and Steve Robertson (right) outside the tavern with a new replicated sign with the same logo that was installed two weeks ago. The bricks are hand-painted to resemble the rustic look from years prior. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The Trent alumni owners purchased the tavern in January and are putting the finishing touches to get the bar open for September.

The tavern is finishing up the bar’s construction, the washrooms and the windows and completing the liquor license process.

Both business partners want to keep the Pig’s Ear look and feel the same when they reopen the beloved tavern scheduled for next month.

“That's our intention is to keep it the same because what's The Pig's Ear is,” explained Holmes. “It’s more of a feeling than a place. Everyone that talks about it has all these memories about having really great times and that's what we want when people walk through the doors is to have it feel the same.”

“All of the upgrades we've done except for a couple would be transparent,” added Robertson. “People are going to walk in and they're going to feel as though it is the exact same spot that they last walked in, six to seven years ago.”

There are a few quality-of-life changes being made that both owners feel patrons will welcome when the bar reopens. This includes updated washrooms, the introduction of air conditioning and an expansion of drink options.

“Having more ciders, non-alcoholic drinks perhaps. It's not just going to be a beer hall that it was 15-20 years ago,” explained Robertson. “We need to keep up with the times in that respect and still keep the charm of the business.”

Both owners admitted that they cannot replicate the renowned legacy of former owners Lylie Ryder and John Punter. The new guard has received Ryder and Punter’s blessing as the former will forge a new chapter for the Pig’s Ear.

“The Pig's Ear is more than us,” said Holmes “We just get to be the ones that bring it back so it's not really about us opening any bar, we are opening this because of what it was and what we want it to be. The legend of the Pig's Ear is more than anything that Steve and I can do to it.”

“We can't really hope to fill the shoes of John and Lylie. They brought such personality to the institution that it's not something we're going to be able to replace,'“ said Robertson. “We have to bring our own personalities, specifically Ashley who is going to be running the bar. John and Lylie are after the fact, 'passing the torch’ and are very supportive of us doing this. They want to remotely be a part of what this is going to become.”

A grand opening date has yet to be announced for The Pig’s Ear.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for newsletter here.