Taking Hospitality into Overtime: How a pro hockey player creates community in overlooked West Coast spaces
Article written by: Gabby Peyton
Local has always mattered to Johnny Negrin. As a former pro-hockey player, the Vancouver native was drafted by the Calgary Flames and then spent time playing in Europe. Along the way, he developed a lasting appreciation for local food, culture and community.
“I spent some time in small towns and always really appreciated local. I love going into a coffee shop and seeing the owner,” says Negrin. He discovered how vital these small businesses were for the heartbeat of a community, so when he retired from hockey in 2020, he leapt into a new venture without any experience in hospitality. Negrin’s project, Batch, is more of a concept than simply a chain of shipping container bars—it is a series of open-air bars that are community-focused, transforming vacant lots and underused park concession stands into popular meeting places.
The recipe for all the Batch locations is beginner-friendly—a few picnic tables and fire pits, a dash of live music and a bounty of local drinks and food. But in this simplicity, Negrin has found success in business and in creating community. “I came back to Vancouver from playing hockey overseas, and it was the start of COVID,” he recalls. “I noticed there were a lot of those smaller local businesses leaving the city.”
With a curiosity for figuring out ways to bring them back, Negrin began looking at underutilized properties in the city and reached out to developers and municipalities to see if there was a way to activate these spots. “I had no intention of actually running them,” he says. “The initial plan was a company called Bloom Community Projects, which I started. The goal was to actually get the infrastructure and find local businesses that would suit that neighbourhood.”
Negrin formulated a plan that would allow him to act as an intermediary for these spaces and local businesses, bringing in 20-foot-long shipping containers and modifying them to serve as food and drink service counters. “I love architecture and design,” he explains. “And modifying these containers and building cool structures and doing it more of a modular approach, where they can be moved.”
In August 2022, Batch—which draws its name from the concept of bringing people together, or “batching” them—opened the first location at the Plaza of Nations, near B.C. Place on the seawall. The wine and beer menu is filled with local products, and the food menu is provided by local food entrepreneurs.
Two years later, in June 2024, Batch took on their second project, this time in the Kitsilano neighbourhood, on the west side of Vancouver, sitting on the shores of English Bay. Negrin’s love for architecture sealed the deal for this one. When he was approached by the Vancouver park board’s head of concessions about the Kitsilano Pool Concession situated at the far end of Kitsilano Beach, he was immediately intrigued by the structure.
“It’s an old-school kind of rancher style, a cool, funky concession stand that was underperforming at the time,” explains Negrin. Mark Halyk, the board’s manager of food and beverage operations, told Negrin that they were having a hard time with the space because Kitsilano is a non-open liquor beach, but they wanted to bring in alcohol to the concession and urged Negrin to come look at the space.
“I remember going there, and it’s kind of hidden,” recalls Negrin. “I didn’t even realize how big the patio was. I was like, holy smokes! I saw it and thought we could definitely make this work. Kits is just such a cool neighbourhood. It’s got that small-town feel and vibe right in the city.”
Negrin has a soft spot for the Kitsilano neighbourhood, loving the summer sunsets and all the outdoor activities. He views the community as very special. “Getting in front of people and building the neighbourhood and the team was the fun part,” he says. “We take pride in hospitality. We take pride in our neighbourhood and in taking care of people.”
The local community embraced those trendy patio vibes immediately.
“That’s the coolest part about it,” says Negrin. “We don’t do any form of marketing; we focus on the neighbourhood, really try to create a special space. I remember one of the first days after we opened, I was sitting down after a day of work, and a couple sat down across from me at the fire pit. Then there was another couple, and we all just started chatting. They found out that they’re neighbours in the same building, and I thought that was kind of cool.”
Batch is a self-proclaimed “neighbourhood enabler,” a company that repurposes underused spaces to showcase local musical talent, as well as food and drink vendors. There are tons of live music performances throughout the summer. “I see Batch as a third space,” Negrin explains. “A place for people to come down and enjoy the outdoors, feel part of the community, feel safe, relaxed. We try to create a chill vibe with acoustics and set a tone. Some people come and just read a book, and just want to be in the action. It’s been really nice for us to be a part of that community and create a gathering space for everybody.”
In addition to offering a third space with a fun, relaxed atmosphere, Batch Kitsilano offers up some great food and drink options, of course. Local breweries, wineries, cideries and canned cocktails dominate the drink menu, while the food vendors are local too.
“Our ethos is we want it to be a foundation for these suppliers and local businesses,” explains Negrin. “We want to market their products and share their stories to help highlight all the amazing companies that we have in Vancouver and the surrounding areas.”
What’s next for Batch? Well, in addition to their third Ambleside location, Negrin hinted at a fourth in East Vancouver, but only time will tell. For now, these community-based bars will continue to be a third place for their patrons, encapsulating what it means to be part of a neighbourhood in Vancouver.
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Using Square has also helped with the growth of Batch and Johnny Negrin’s lifting of local businesses.
“So, for me, like not having a background in hospitality, I wanted to go with a software that was trusted, it just felt very user-friendly,” he explains. “I wanted to keep it very singular, and Square allows us to have all our operational needs in one place.”
“They’ve really done their homework on what the needs are for these small businesses, and I appreciate that.”
With Here for the Good Stuff, Square is not only celebrating hospitality businesses but investing in the stories of operators who help make Canadian neighbourhoods feel distinct, connected, and alive. In collaboration with MENU Magazine, the campaign shines a light on iconic and emerging businesses whose impact reaches far beyond their walls.
Gabby Peyton is an award-winning author, food writer and culinary historian based in St. John’s, NL, where she’s always planning her next trip to eat. Her work on travel, dining and history has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Canadian Geographic, and EnRoute Magazine. Gabby’s first book, Where We Ate: A Field Guide to Canada’s Restaurants, Past and Present, is a bestseller and chronicles the history of Canadian dining through the stories of 150 restaurants nationwide.
Follow Gabby: @gabbypeytoneats
