Tap Handle #709: Original Joe's

December 18, 2018

Tap Handle #709: Original Joe's - Light

Tap size: 11"
Rarity: less than 10 seen, contract beer
Mounting: 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

This beautiful tap was featured in one of my recent anniversary posts about upcoming profiles, and as I mentioned in that post, it is my second favorite tap that Original Joe's has produced. Featuring a blond woman in a red polka dot bikini, there is a blue and white surfboard in front of her that has the symbol and name of the brewery in raised letters, and under that is the word "Light", also in raised letters. Despite the number of Original Joe's in existence, the brewery keeps tight control over all of their taps, and as a result the taps can be extremely difficult to obtain. I've seen a couple of these hit the secondary market, and they both went for over $300. Wow!

Click through to read more about Original Joe's, their Light lager, and to see more photos of this fun-loving tap...

Original Joe’s was founded in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1997. The restaurant and bar, established in an area called Marda Loop, had enjoyed a fair amount of initial success. Derek Doke, the founder and CEO of FranWorks Group, a company in food service, hospitality and retail, approached the founders of Original Joe's and asked them if they had plans to expand. The owners were in the middle of building a second location in Kensington. A few locations later, Doke ended up buying majority control. In 2006, he acquired the concept wholly when it had eight establishments, with a ninth under construction. At that time, half of the establishments were franchises, and the other half were either corporate or joint-venture owned. The typical size of an Original Joe's restaurant was 3,500 to 4,000 square feet with a capacity of about 110 seats, with an additional 40 seats in an outdoor patio area. As they expanded across Western Canada, part of their strategy was to go after small markets. Original Joe's did not have a brewing facility; instead, they contracted Big Rock Brewing to make all of their Original Joe's house beers.

By 2010, they had 34 locations with more than 1,000 employees, and had been named to the PROFIT 100 list of the 100 fastest-growing companies in Canada. Sales grew 3,184% between 2004 and 2009, with revenues increasing from $270,284 to $8.9 million for the franchiser; sales from all stores system-wide rose from $5.4 million in 2004 to $50.2 million in 2009. In 2012, FranWorks Group expanded by acquiring the 19 Elephant & Castle pubs in the U.S. and Canada for $22.75 million, bringing them under the Original Joe's Franchise Group but vowing not to alter their English pub concept. Also in 2012 Original Joe's was in need of a cash infusion in order to continue expanding, so they turned to BENEV Capital Inc. (BCI). Under the deal, BCI would receive $12 million annually for Original Joe's trademarks and royalties, while FranWorks received $88 million in immediate funds for investment and 9 million shares of BCI stock. FranWorks used the newly acquired assets to open 16 new Original Joe's locations over 18 months, and also to renovate 9 of the Elephant & Castle locations.

In 2016, Cara Operations Ltd. acquired an 89% stake in Original Joe’s Franchise Group. Cara, which owned restaurant chains such as Harvey's, Swiss Chalet, New York Fries, Landing, East Side Mario's, Bier Markt and other casual dining restaurants, cited a strong management team, the opportunity to grow profit margins through increased size, and increasing its presence in Western Canada, as reasons for the purchase. Original Joe’s Franchise Group used the $90 million from Cara to re-acquire its trademarks and royalty rights from Diversified Royalty Corp. (formerly BCI) and eliminated the $12 million annual royalty payments they had been making. Doke retained his title of CEO, but only retained a minority interest in Original Joe’s Franchise Group as a result of the sale. At the time of the Cara purchase, Original Joe's Franchise Group had 100 restaurants, comprised of 66 Original Joe's, 24 State & Main restaurants, and 10 Elephant & Castle locations.

Original Joe’s offers a Community Pint Program, which is part of the Community Care Fund. Every few months, a regional beneficiary is selected by OJ’s locations, and 50 cents from a featured pint is donated to the cause. The company has raised thousands of dollars for dozens of organizations. Each store has a vested interest in helping its community grow.