The Raven Room: Local Love and a Commitment to Quality

We were intrigued to hear about the story behind the name before discussing the team’s vision and values. 

“To begin with, we were thinking of something strong, perhaps one word that could act as a stamp. We originally thought of ‘Garnish,’ but quickly realised that it didn’t quite fit our vision. Even though it is an integral part of our cocktails, generally speaking, not many bars in the industry take the garnish seriously, so we decided against the name.”

Jason continued to recount the day that he and Luke were chatting together when it dawned on them both, the perfect name lay in the connection to a Whistler icon.

For context, some might tell you that the iconic bird in Whistler is the darling little Whiskey Jack. Whiskey Jacks are commonly found in the depths of Instagram perched atop a ski pole (we must quickly point out that interacting with these birds in this way is not recommended as it reinforces ecosystem altering behaviour). 

Whistler locals, however, share a far stronger connection with the Raven. “Often when I’m on the mountain I see a Raven, usually around Crystal and Peak chairs. Locals often experience these Ravens following them, and there is a belief in mountain culture that if you’ve lost a friend out there, it is them,” Jason noted. 

We discussed the painful loss of a much loved Whistler local, Jesse Van Roon, who passed away in early January while out on the mountain. “We knew right away we would support his family, so we donated all proceeds from every old fashioned we sold the next weekend to them. The old fashioned was Jesse’s favourite drink when he joined us at The Raven Room.” 

Going back to the day that they chose this name, Jason told me that he and Luke were in the Village when a Raven flew by, “Luke has one tattooed on his arm in memory of a friend. It suddenly dawned on us that this was the perfect name. Also, ravens by nature are intelligent, cheeky, and often seen as tricksters, so we liked how this fit with our take on the bar.” 

Whistler is a world-class resort. For Jason, a sense of complacency took hold in the industry, which inspired them to do better. The endless stream of visitors creates a stable level of customers for businesses in Whistler, but The Raven Room team didn’t want to take this for granted. They wanted to elevate the standards in Whistler and aimed to create a vibe where nobody is assumed to be a tourist.  

The impact of this can be seen across the town as raising the bar has brought about healthy competition amongst local businesses. “At the end of the day, all local businesses are pulling in the same direction. Whistler is a world-class resort, so people deserve world-class hospitality. But our amazing community deserves a home too, and we want our locals to know they are cared for and looked after here.”

“I ripped out the cocktail gun in my last place, it stood for the complacency I mentioned earlier. Nobody wants to take time choosing a $15 to $20 cocktail and see it shoot out from a gun. At The Raven Room, we only use high-quality spirits, and everything is fresh.” 

Jason and I talked about how important squeezing fresh lime is and how it adds to the process's spectacle. “Cocktail making is an art; it is a process that assaults your senses from start to finish. You hear the bartenders smashing ice to pieces on the bar, you feel the rhythm of the shaker, and you see the final product before you even taste it.” 

“We get so many questions from intrigued guests; What’s he making? What are those two people drinking? No, I don’t like gin, but I want one of those,” Jason commented. 

Picking the right ingredients is crucial, and with an abundance of world-class distillers and wineries in the local vicinity and across British Columbia, we’re spoilt for choice. However, this makes it hard to refine a menu, but Jason and the team all know the highest quality craft can be found close to home. 

For their wine list, The Raven Room opt for producers that offer low-intervention, natural and organic wines that are defined by a ‘hands-off approach.’ Anthony Buchanan, a producer in the Okanagan, is one of Jason’s favourites. He’s enjoyed inviting Anthony over to chat through their wines with customers and help match them up with a great dinner. 

We know the dumpster fire that some are calling ‘2020’ isn’t a year we particularly want to regurgitate. However, given the context of this discussion and our aim to show you what it is like to be a part of this community, we were intrigued to see how The Raven Room, and Whistler at large, responded. 

“The first lockdown came on St Patrick's Day. Obviously, the feeling was a bit like shellshock. Uncertainty and a lot of emotion were felt across the community; people lost jobs, so it was a really rough time. We’re no different from other communities in this sense. However, we did feel like Whistler at large quickly pulled together in the same direction.” 

Mental health has finally been brought to the forefront in recent years; the pandemic seemed to accelerate much-needed discussions. Added to this is the fact that the restaurant industry, in general, has quite a stoic approach to mental health conversations. So it was inspiring to hear how The Raven Room team continued to support their staff in meaningful ways.

“With our revenue going to zero and uncertainty amongst the crew, we knew early on that the reopening would never heal this shock,” Jason noted. “Mental health and general wellbeing is a core focus of our approach to staffing. We constantly have the conversation in our workplace and make sure we’re checking in daily with our team. Often, it can take a few questions to really uncover how somebody is feeling, hearing ‘I’m fine,’ isn’t enough for us. It is also essential to understand how comfortable somebody is with growing infection rates in the area, so if they’re concerned, we’re here to support them.” 

Jason also enlightened me about how they make sure their staff are really making the most out of their life in Whistler. The quality of life here is high, and The Raven Room team have a vested interest in ensuring their staff are experiencing the best of it. Are you hiring by any chance, Jason?

As one of the most flourishing sports clubs in the area, it had humble beginnings as a collective of hospitality workers competing across establishments. Since then, the Whistler Outdoor Volleyball Association was officially founded by Scott Rogers in 2006 and is representative of the growing community. The Volleyball Association also operates a range of summer activities and camps for children. 

Jason’s words certainly dispel the common misconception that the Whistler community is solely transient and seasonal. While this does indeed talk to a proportion of the people found in Whistler, the growing population of full-time locals are building on an already excellent quality of life for established and new residents here. No wonder the real estate market is booming!