On the night of the U.S. election next week, Ottawa residents may not be going to the polls, but they may be going to the pubs.
A number of Ottawa restaurants and bars are going to be meeting places for locals tuning in to watch the results unfold from the U.S. presidential election Nov. 5.
Ivan Gedz, owner of Union Local 613, is bringing back his U.S. election night watch party, something the restaurant has hosted for the past two American elections.
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“(In) previous iterations, we just had simple food stations and did a ticketed event. This time, we’re just allowing regular reservations on our main floor and upstairs at Jabberwocky (the event space). It’s first come, first serve. We’re going to run PBS’s feed for it, so people can have some chow and watch the horror show unfold,” Gedz said.
An event like this one is not new for Gedz. The restaurant has hosted similar watch party events for Canadian elections, as well.
“We wouldn’t have, let’s say, an Oscars viewing party, as some places do, that just doesn’t fit with our brand. We’re a fairly civic-minded restaurant and our clientele seem to be interested in things of this nature, so it’s a draw for us,” he said.
John Couse, owner of The Lieutenant’s Pump, will host the Centre for Inquiry Canada’s election watch party on Tuesday. He says he’s expecting a fair-sized crowd, especially for a Tuesday night in November.
“That group hosted a similar event four years ago and were about 25 people. We probably had another 75 people in the bar. I can’t guess how many would be watching the TV,” he said. “We had a good following last night for the end of the World Series and it’s on par, because I guess you would say that politics is a sort of sporting event.”
He says these kinds of events are helpful for any business, especially on slower nights such as Tuesdays.
“Tuesday is one of our slower nights, so we’re grateful to have something that people will come out for,” Couse said.
Steve Monuk, co-owner of The Carleton Tavern, which will celebrate its 90th anniversary next year, says events like these are helpful to drive business, especially on nights void of sporting events.
“Hopefully, when we do events like this, we get people that have never been in the place to have a great experience and come back. The best part of advertising is actually getting the product in the person’s hands. It’s the best way to get them through the door,” Monuk told OBJ.
Monuk says Canadians are drawn to the U.S. elections because of how much exposure they have to American television.
“The other day, I was watching Jeopardy and every second ad during the commercial break was political. It was commercials where someone is running for something in the U.S. … I think we’re so inundated. We get more information on our media about American politics than we do Canadian politics. The world talks about it,” he said.
Gedz says part of the interest comes from Canada’s proximity to its southern neighbours.
“It drastically affects the Canadian economy, among other things, decisions with regards to environmental regulations, so on and so forth. As their economy goes, so goes ours,” he said.
Couse says the night will be steeped in suspense on the big outcome.
“I think people are excited to know. It’s pretty suspenseful, given that the two parties are neck-and-neck. It’s impossible to predict at this point, so I think that piques people’s interest. Anybody could win,” Couse said.
Monuk says he hopes patrons leave with a smile on their face, regardless of the outcome of the night.
“I don’t want to say that we struggle, but I would think any business person, small business owner, knows it’s tough … I just hope no matter if the customer is happy or not with the outcome of the night, that they walk out of there happy with their experience at The Carleton Tavern,” Monuk said.
