Something new at Gunstock: The Barrel Bar & Grille

GILFORD — Gunstock Mountain Resort has a new amenity to serve guests this year: a ski-in, ski-out full-service pub designed to reduce the peak load on existing dining services while also providing a sunny space for skiers to warm up while enjoying a front-row seat to the slopes.

The Barrel Bar & Grille, which was ready for the opening of skiing on Dec. 8, is located in the Stockade Lodge, situated between the Panorama and Ramrod lifts. The new eatery has about 100 seats at tables and another 20 around the bar.

The new pub occupies a space which previously was home to a grab-and-go-style cafeteria during the weekends, and was largely vacant during the week, used only for people looking for a convenient spot to “boot up” before skiing to their first chairlift of the day.

“It was a food court,” said Cathy White, Gunstock’s chief financial officer. “After COVID, it got minimal use.”

Gunstock already had several dining options. In the main lodge, there’s the Powder Keg tavern and the Cobble Food Court. The Pistol Pub is open on weekends, and the Pan Pub, at the summit, is another place to get a bite and a beverage.

But those were starting to exceed capacity, with the wait for food approaching two hours at peak times. Meanwhile, White said, “We had this beautiful building that was closed five days a week.”

The plans for the Barrel Bar & Grille have actually been in place for a few years, but were sidetracked by what White called the “GAC debacle,” an episode last year in which some members of the Gunstock Area Commission, the administrative body that oversees the county-owned ski area, engaged in a power struggle with the executive staff running the mountain. The struggle was so intractable that it appeared, for a few weeks in 2022, the mountain might not even open last winter. Ultimately, community support for staff leadership prevailed, the agitating forces on the commission were replaced and things settled back to normal.

“We kept hanging onto it,” White said about the plans for the Barrel Bar & Grille, “so when we got the nod, they were able to hit the ground running. We started working on this two weeks after the last season ended.”

The renovation included the installation of an all-new kitchen, construction of the U-shaped bar, and what White described as aesthetic improvements to the interior of the space. The total cost of the overhaul was $1.8 million. During the next offseason, there are plans to further develop the space by building a wrap-around porch for open-air seating, and a service window so people can order beverages, and perhaps even food, without having to go inside.

Though the Barrel Bar & Grille is certainly intended to be revenue positive, White said the goal wasn’t really about profit. Rather, it’s to provide a better experience for guests. She doesn’t want people to have to wait as long for food when they’re hungry, and the Barrel increases the resort’s overall dining capacity by about 20%.

That extra capacity will allow them to serve more people in less time during peak hours. The slopeside bar will also be appreciated during night skiing, which starts next week. During the summer, once the porch is built, the Barrel will take the role of primary outdoor restaurant, which will mean the main lodge will be able to host more weddings.

The menu at the Barrel is a mix of lighter foods, such as sandwiches, soups and chili, as well as entrees, such as grilled steak or baked haddock. There are vegan and vegetarian options, including a quinoa bowl and house-made bean burger, and kid-friendly choices as well.

“We wanted to provide what people want,” White said, adding that her favorite menu items feature beef short ribs, available on a panini or in place of ground meat in the shepherd’s pie.

The Barrel Bar & Grille will be open seven days each week.

“It’s going to be a nice year,” White said, “and people get to enjoy a few new things.”