The Casual Pint weathers the challenges of the pandemic with flexibility and fun.
The Casual Pint passed a strange and impressive milestone in October: they’d officially been open longer during a pandemic than they’d been open without one. To make this work, they’ve had to be extremely resourceful.
“My background is in R&D and innovation, so experimenting, pivoting, being creative has all become our mantra,” says Ann Marie Cilley, owner of the Casual Pint in Hamilton.
Bars and restaurants have certainly had their share of challenges when it comes to the COVID-19 crisis. The Casual Pint is a hybrid space, more like a brewery than like a traditional bar/restaurant, so they had to address safety on many fronts.
This location is part of a franchise concept that is deeply rooted in the local: The Casual Pint in Hamilton sources craft beers to serve on their tap wall, constantly adding new types of beer and cider. They have a kitchen for hot food as well as packaged beer for sale and a big selection for their mix-your-own-6-pack.
“Our focal point is really the 35-tap wal; it’s always changing, and people love it,” says Cilley. “With fewer people travelling to go to breweries, we provided something local that could still bring curiosity, creativity, and tastiness.”
From the start, guests have enjoyed the hybrid indoor-outdoor element of the building, with a large garage-door-style window, but the Casual Pint had to develop plans to maintain their atmosphere while keeping people safe during the summer of 2020.
Outdoor tables allowed for a tailgating atmosphere, and the ability to get a takeaway beer to drink while shopping or enjoying Marcum Park using the DORA in the City of Hamilton was one of the most important factors in keeping the business going during the early part of the pandemic.
“The DORA kept us alive,” says Cilley. “We provided a great experience and were changing things up, but the DORA was a major reason why Hamilton businesses remained open. It’s a testament to Hamilton that they kept it going.”
For indoor service, Cilley foregrounded following the guidelines of the Health Department as well as keeping her customers as safe as possible.
“We wanted to provide an environment that didn’t feel restrictive, since beer is always a bit of an escape from the ordinary day-to-day, but we avoided letting the space get crowded, putting tape on the floor and creating a line,” says Cilley.
A heated tent allowed the Casual Pint to extend their outdoor space’s use into November and early December before the intense cold of a full Ohio winter took over. However, the Casual Pint’s team is making big plans to welcome Spring and invite people to come back out safely as the weather improves over the coming months. They held 80s Rewind Week in February with other downtown businesses, and are now gearing up for St. Patrick’s Day.
“I always see St. Patrick’s Day as a favorite day of the year and the beginning of bringing Hamilton out of the winter hibernation,” says Cilley. “I’m Irish, so we’re bringing in beer heritage, Irish heritage, and Hamilton heritage.”
There will be music, traditional Irish foods like corned beef and cabbage, and a wall of Irish beers, along with giveaways and more surprises. Cilley hopes it will be the event that sets the stage for being done with winter.
As the summer approaches, there will also be an Opening Day event, and as a sponsor of both RiversEdge and the Hamilton Joes, the Casual Pint hopes to be a home base for both baseball fans and those who love live music downtown.
While the Casual Pint is a proven concept in many locations, Cilley has been attentive to this location being uniquely Hamilton focused from the start.
“On the soffit above the bar it says “Hamilton!” in our font with the exclamation point,” Cilley says. “Hamilton has earned that exclamation point. When I see it, it makes me smile.”