Colony Bar Main Street: MPBIA Business Feature

Colony Bar Main Street

Article and Photographs Provided by Abby Wiseman

Most seats at Colony Bar Main Street are full for Monday Night IQ 2000 Trivia and I’m late. I grab a seat at the bar and a fellow barstool man shares his answer sheet with me. Perhaps two heads full of random and useless information is better than one.

Round one finishes, I contributed very little, but we finish off somewhere in the middle. The table closest to us totally dominated, but they are six and we are two, so that’s entirely justifiable. Luckily round two involves a music section, which I know I’ll win.

The atmosphere is relaxed with groups having a week night beer and couples bonding over questions such as, “what emoji is the most popular?” Apparently the eggplant is loved worldwide.

Even owner George Morfidis joins in, half chatting with some friends and half surveying his new bar, ensuring everything is running smoothly and everyone is happy.

I met up with Morfidis and Cassidy Pepper with marketing and promotions at Blueprint Events a few days earlier to find out what Colony Bar, which is working with Blueprint, is all about.

“Colony to us is just a friendly comfortable environment to spend your free time,” said Morfidis.

The place is comfortable with yellow, grey and white barstools, pewter coloured benches and long communal tables. Vintage baseball gloves hang on one wall, while brass bees sprinkle another

Morfidis is a native Vancouverite who moved to Florida with his family and opened several different style restaurants. He always wanted to raise his kids in Canada, so he made his way back to Vancouver to pursue a new venture and new life.
Colony Bar on Main Street is actually the second location under its name. The first location is in Kits and has an admittedly more bar feel, said Pepper.  Main Street is more food oriented with brunches booming and the blogosphere already going crazy over the BBQ Onion Burger, which requires a distended jaw to eat.

I wasn’t hungry, but when Pepper insisted I try a quinoa burger with lemon pepper fries I couldn’t say no. “I’ll just have a little,” I said and Pepper put a takeout box next to me. I took one bite into the quinoa and goat cheese patty and marveled at the crunchy texture and earthy taste and continued to eat until my plate was clean. I’m a slow eater, so that took a while.

The beer specials look as good as the food. Every day there’s a $4 beer special – I always say that if it isn’t under $5 then it isn’t a special- and on Tuesdays all domestic beers, 16 taps, many of them craft beer, are only $3, which might be the best deal in the city. For those in the neighbourhood who have had to travel for a good sports bar, Colony is specializing in all things sports.

Neither Pepper or Morfidis knew how Colony would be received by the neighbourhood, but so far they are very pleased to see the neighbourhood represented in their clientele, from stay at home dads, to Urban Rec athletes, to baristas and bartenders.

“Neighbourhood is a huge thing for us. Everything we put together in this location, despite the fact we have another location, was 50 per cent Colony and 50 per cent Main Street, said Pepper. “Our goal is to be ingrained in the neighbourhood.”

I’m usually not much of a sports fan, but I am intellectually competitive and have since been brushing up on my random facts for the next Monday night trivia, maybe I’ll see you there!

Visit Colony Bar Main Street’s Website or see below for more information!