Spotlight on: The Stout Monk Pub

I recently sat down with Rino Vetrone, owner of the Stout Monk in Oakville, to chat about the restaurant’s current renovation project and to discuss what you have to look forward to when you visit one of Oakville’s best restaurants. This was originally part of my video series, Mississauga in a Minute, which I invite you to check out on my website, and has been edited for length and clarity for this blog.

Tell us a little bit about your history in the food business — this isn’t your first pub.

Nope, it’s not my first. I started in Swiss Chalet as a 16-year-old bus boy, then I went to be an accountant, but decided it wasn’t for me. I rode the wave of becoming a corporate manager for Swiss Chalet, and then a franchisee of the restaurant here in Oakville for about 14 years. I was also involved with the Firkins, and we ran the Boston Pizza Training Center for 5 years, where we trained over 40 franchisees.

After having breakfast spots and things like that, it’s nice to be home again. It’s always been my dream to have a family-operated bar close to home — the Vetrones in our own neighborhood.

So, you bought this new place a few months ago, tell us about your big plans for it.

We’ve already redone the whole lounge area, and we have a Leafs room for all you Leaf fans. We’ve had our bars all redone. We put in new Molson Sub-Zero towers for ice cold beer. We are now revamping our wine list and we’ve redone our menu with the help of our famous chef, Jason Rosso, who has helped me in other ventures. He’s done us a great pub menu, which I think everybody would like. And it’s mostly fresh, which we believe in, and very woman-friendly.

What do you mean by woman-friendly?

Well, sometimes in pubs, you get a lot of fried foods and all that stuff — wings, nachos, beer. But now the ladies can come in here, could have some nice salads, and some nice wines, which I have been told by a lot of women who come in that they are wanting to see these things on our menu. So we’ve added to the menu and we’re doing a good wine list. We are also going to offer half-priced bottles for Ladies Night on Tuesday nights.

Tell us about the new Elvis room.

When we started renovations, a family friend of ours, Francis, said, “You’ve got to put your mark in this place.” It caught me off guard, so I said, “Well, with what?” I was just thinking like a picture or something. She looked at me and said, “An Elvis room.” And I thought that that’s actually not a bad idea.

So, with the help of my boys who were in the movie business, they made this wall and a few other things. My son, Christian, was in charge of the Elvis room, and he actually imported some pictures from the United Kingdom, and also from Memphis, and even the local area, and it’s developing into a nice room. It’s just about finished, and I think it could become a little mini tourist attraction in the city for people who are Elvis fans. We’ve had a few come already and they like it. It’s a bit of an experience to come and look at.

Now let’s talk about this lounge room.

We’ve opened up the wall, which faces outside, so it’s very open, very bright. At night it’s nice, because you’ve got the light from outside. Our furniture that we picked here is a Las Vegas-y 1960s type furniture. And it goes well with our Rat Pack pictures and other nostalgic décor — it’s a very cool lounge.

We’ve had great reviews on it locally, and it’s good for parties. People have already booked it for Christmas parties. It’s a unique, different spot. We think it’s a great addition to the community.

By the way, we’re also looking at a great Christmas promo coming up. I mentioned I used to be part of the Swiss Chalet group, and back in the day we used to have Toblerone chocolate so I’d like to do something here like turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and a Toblerone chocolate bar.

And what do you have coming for us in the new year?

For the new year, we’re thinking Saturday nights will be band night. This offers some entertainment in this area, which a lot of people have said is lacking. We’re striving for a very casual feeling; a lot of the guests who are coming in here are like friends, and we treat people like this is our rec room at our home.

Your family really has their roots in Oakville. You’ve been around for a long time. If anybody knows how to do it right in Oakville, it’s you, right?

Residents of Oakville value the experience and the service and they’re happy. I learned this with my 14 years in Swiss Chalet here, and I think that’s a formula that’s always done me well. There’s a formula I follow: Clean restaurant, good service, great food, great atmosphere, and treat your staff well, too.

Last question, what’s special about this place? What’s the main draw?

Come and see us and you’ll see it. Once you walk in, you’ll know. A lot of our guests are going, “Wow!” You have to come and see it for yourself. We’re unique but we still have something everyone will appreciate.

The Stout Monk is a family-owned and operated restaurant located at the intersection of Dundas and Neyagawa (478 Dundas Street West). It is currently undergoing renovations.