A go-to spot for a pint, dinner or Thursday wing night deals, Your Father’s Moustache has been operating for over 35 years. What started as a small pub opened by two local entrepreneurs was later taken over by a father and son team and transformed into a full-service restaurant. Still a family-owned business, Your Father’s Moustache is one of few restaurants that have stood the test of time in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Sprouting on the scene

Alan Creaser and Glen Holmes opened Your Father’s Moustache on Spring Garden Road in downtown Halifax in December 1989. After meeting at university, Creaser and Holmes decided to follow their entrepreneurial spirit and become business partners. Your Father’s Moustache started as a simple pub, serving beer, wine and select food items. The idea for the name came from a relative who had seen a barbershop with the name in the U.S., and Creaser and Holmes liked the unique suggestion.

After operating the pub for about five years, Creaser and Holmes felt it was time to focus on other projects. Creaser moved to Lunenburg, where he worked on a number of different business ventures, and Holmes focused on his chain of clothing retail stores. Your Father’s Moustache was purchased by father and son, John and Shaun O’Hearn, in 1995.

Growing strong

When the O’Hearn family took over, Shaun says, Your Father’s Moustache wasn’t really known as a restaurant; most customers went there to enjoy a drink. The pub also followed a split-service system, with one server handling drinks and another taking food orders, and payments were collected upfront rather than on a tab. Utilizing their family’s experience in the restaurant business, the first changes the O’Hearns made were upgrading the pub’s menu and customer service.

First, a full table service system was introduced. As that was well received and more customers started coming to eat, it was time to expand the kitchen. The pub’s pool tables and shuffleboard were removed to make space for a larger kitchen, and more menu items were added. Eventually, Your Father’s Moustache became better known as a restaurant, and its space was renovated a number of times to stay fresh.

After managing the restaurant for over 15 years, Shaun bought out his father in around 2014 and became the sole owner of Your Father’s Moustache.

Still in the family

Today, operations continue at Your Father’s Moustache on Garden Road, Halifax. Shaun O’Hearn remains the full owner and is supported by his general manager, Bruce Keys, and 30 to 50 staff, depending on the season. The restaurant’s menu includes a wide selection of starters, salads, burgers, pasta, brunch and more, and is updated each year.

Reflecting on the restaurant’s 36 years of operation, O’Hearn says they’ve long surpassed the average five-year lifespan for restaurants. “We’re bucking the trend for sure,” he commented. He says that about 90 per cent of their customers are considered regulars and attributes the restaurant’s success to their commitment to delivering good products and service.

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