New accommodations at the restaurant include a second bar, a larger kitchen and additional restrooms, Communications Coordinator Emily Hines said.
“We really want the place to be more spacious and enhance the flow of our ?patrons,” she said.
“We really want to add more space for our regular patrons, but we also want to bring in new customers,” Hines said.
She said they expect to see a significant increase in occupancy.
Renovating the restaurant began this summer and is expected to continue until mid- to late-September.
“The one bar we have was always crowded,” Hines said. “The whole place would be crowded on the weekends, and it was hard for people to move. We were ready to expand and serve more ?customers.”
The Upland Brewing Company is also looking to bring changes to its products.
Officials announced in a press release that Upland Brewing Company would begin canning two of its more popular brews: Wheat Ale and Dragonfly IPA.
“We started working with cans this spring when we canned the Campfire Session IPA,” said Upland Brewing Company marketing director Andrea Lutz . “It was something we put out into the market this April, and it got out to all of our markets, including Wrigley Field.”
Because of its popularity, the company decided to continue the canning process with its flagship brews, Lutz said.
Since it is well-known by consumers for its bottled beer, the company does not expect the newly canned alcohol to overtake the original product, she said.
The reasoning behind the new cans is versatility, Lutz said.
“We want people to be able to take their beer and enjoy it while they go camping or on boats,” Lutz said. “It’s more for outdoor recreation, where people shouldn’t have to worry about breaking glass.”
Abel Garcia, a beer aficionado and bartender at the Quaff On! gastropub , said the cans will help to better serve multiple consumers.
Selling cans is about selling a lifestyle, he said. Bloomington is a college town and a lot of people enjoy outdoor recreation. Cans have higher selling opportunity for these lifestyles.
Garcia also said not switching entirely to cans was a wise business move. Bottles have less packaging from the companies who produce them, making them aesthetically pleasing and more appreciable.
The Upland Brewing Company is currently in its 16th year. It started off as a single restaurant and brewery in the downtown area.
In 2012, the business opened a separate brewery location on the west side of Bloomington.
The company has also moved beyond Indiana and has markets in Chicago, Cincinnati, Wisconsin and ?Louisville, Ky.
“We’re not looking so much to expand out into newer markets other than what we already have,” Hines said. “We’re concentrating more on our Indiana ?location.”
