Being a Vancouver based company we have had the privilege of working in most of Vancouver’s exciting neighbourhoods. Gastown, Chinatown, Downtown, Mount Pleasant, Fraser Street, West Broadway, Commercial Drive, Olympic Village, Hastings, Kitsilano – you name it, we’ve probably built a space there!
Now you can add Campbell River and Courtenay to our list of #madebypacific towns. We had the opportunity to build not one but two Match Eatery & Public Houses on Vancouver Island this past year, and both at the same time! The restaurants were being added to the existing Chances Casinos that were in both cities and we were excited to take on these two large projects.
Construction Challenges
These jobs presented new challenges that we tackled head on. First, our team members were stationed there in houses we rented, so they had to commute on a weekly basis and were away from their families and friends. The majority of the team went up at some point or another throughout the project. The weeks were long and the work was hard, but the genuine camaraderie of the team was evident throughout the entire project and there were opportunities to enjoy some picture perfect Vancouver Island beach beers and BBQ’s in the downtime.
Additionally, as a company we had to build a new network of Island-based local trades. Our Project Management team had to work on building relationships while our on-site team worked on converting the building at the same time. No easy feat!
The jobs themselves were extensive. We were converting existing casino floor space into a new restaurant, so we had to move all of the existing casino equipment smoothly and seamlessly (in coordination with the BC Lottery Corporation) to make room. We cut out the new doors and windows into the existing building walls, and built a massive, multi-level concrete patio (with enclosed keg room) at the Campbell River location. Oh, and did we mention that the casinos were open to the public and fully operational during the entire construction process? YEAH.
Eight months later we have two lively and modern social spots in these quaint Island towns. With great food, huge TV’s for watching sports, and killer views of the beautiful BC coastline, the new eateries are two projects we’re proud to have brought to life. We couldn’t have done it without the hard work and effort from our entire team and our excellent project partners.
This was a challenging project, as our business remained opened during the entire renovation. I was very impressed by the strategies Pacific brought forward to minimize the guest impact and potential negative guest experience. – Kent Hockley, Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Ltd.
Photos by Upper Left Photography
