Whether it’s a play on chips and salsa, using fresh ingredients with pairings like plantain chips and agave-pickled Serrano peppers, or a Hawaiian poke bowl, The Georgian Bay Surf Club is riding a wave of experimental food.
The food is only half of what the business partner quartet have concocted.
In 2022 friends Curtis Eichenberger, Greg Youzwyshyn, Keaton Grieve, and Luke Anderson, bought a building downtown Collingwood and started brainstorming.
With a passion for surfing the Great Lakes Eichenberger previously founded the Surf Club through Instagram. He sold sweaters and other branded merchandise but claims that it wasn’t a large endeavour.
For years he and a small group of like-minded surfers joked about needing a “clubhouse.”
Eichenberger’s story was a big part of creating the attraction on Hurontario Street. They knew the Surf Club would start with the retail outlet but that they needed something else to keep people interested.
“It’s an authentic story rooted in the Georgian Bay Area,” said Youzwyshyn, the team’s marketing personnel and general manager.
They all agreed on the goal: to tell a story and deliver a unique experience to locals and newcomers alike.
“Surf is kind of sexy and has this kind of escapism to it, so we bought into it, but you don’t have to surf, just come in and feel the vibe,” he continued.
The newly established GBSC is a combination of retail outlet and restaurant.
You can purchase their brand merchandise, sit at the bar and enjoy a cocktail, or stay for the full dining experience. The space is brightly lit with an open staircase leading to the retail shop, which will stock a variety of surf gear and commodities not easily found anywhere else in Ontario.
“We’re trying to curate a line which nobody has seen before around here. We have partners who are cutting and sewing in Toronto and our own merchandise is made of organic cotton,” said Eichenberger.
Quality and sustainability are the two pillars they set for their company, while bringing in unique offers like swimwear from Australia and France.
As the team worked away, two questions were asked most of them; ‘when are you opening,’ and ‘what’s on the menu?’
Officially opening, a long hard road
They each brought their own skills and tackled different problems.
Eichenberger is a contractor by trade, so he handled the building. It was no small feat. As his first commercial build and not simply a renovation, some things took longer than he anticipated; things like the kitchen design and fire suppression systems.
“It’s an infill building, which means that it used to be an alleyway back in the day, then they strung the building between the two neighbouring ones, and it’s only 22 feet wide, which adds a difficulty to the demolition and rebuild,” said Eichenberger.
He noted that about two per cent of the old building still exists, everything else is new.
Grieve and Anderson are known for their other business, Gibson & Co., and they planned the restaurant.
From design layout and operations standpoints, Eichenberger felt it was all in good hands, “they’re very hands-on and that’s why they’ve been successful,” he said.
Head Chef Mike Thompson started his contract in the spring of 2024, about a year after agreeing to sign on.
“He was committed to us that long ago,” said Eichenberger.
As the building was under construction, Chef Thompson was hosting pop-up dinners. People engaged with the team, talked about the food program and the chef learned what would work and what needed to change.
The menu: what is surf food?
“Everything was meticulously thought out,” said Eichenberger of the cocktails and wine pairings to the food and the dinnerware it’s served on.
The team noted there was a gap in what is served downtown Collingwood. There’s upscale options and casual options, but nothing in between.
“We define ourselves as elevated casual dining. The feel remains casual, but know that you’ll get an exceptional experience,” said Youzwyshyn.
The whole team, including Chef Thompson, looked beyond seafood options. They wanted to explain the menu from various global cultural perspectives.
“It doesn’t limit us in terms of how we can change the menu if the chef decides that come spring things need to be a little lighter and more fresh,” said Eichenberger.
Culinary treats from Portugal, Spain, Australia and other places that have surf culture to share. You can order a Mexican torta, an East Coast lobster roll, or duck wings, the food is inspired by surf destinations around the world.
“Every wine is sourced from coastlines,” said Youzwyshyn.
They also decided to focus on spirits from similar regions. Instead of vodka or gin, cocktails are inspired by tequila and mezcal.
Youzwyshyn noted that, similar to the experience at Gibson & Co., there are no additives in any of the tequilas at the Surf Club.
They would have loved to open for the 2024 holiday season, but ultimately opened Jan. 24.
“All four of us worked so hard for almost two and a half years, so we knew we had one first impression and said ‘let’s not trip over our own feet trying to get across the line when we’re so close,” said Youzwyshyn.
The four passionate entrepreneurs are now back to their routines.
Eichenberger has other contracting work, the Gibson & Co. owners prioritize being present there, which leaves Youzwyshyn as the main man on site for the Surf Club. Despite their full-time jobs they're all still involved in the new establishment.
“We are all jumping in and helping where we can,” said Eichenberger.
“We are a great team, we complement each other very well,” said Youzwyshyn.
What was years in the making, and took the team longer than they wanted, has finally come together. The feedback has generally been positive and dinner reservations can fill up quickly.
Open seven days a week, Georgian Bay Surf Club serves lunch every day with dinner service Thursday-Sunday.