Not long after Chuck Cox opened Dirt Road Brewing on the corner of Main and North 13th in late August 2019, he started to see positive results.
Sure, the pandemic threw a curveball into the equation but the Philomath taproom came out of those challenges on the other side thanks to a steady flow of devoted patrons and an owner who could see the potential for success.
Last month, Dirt Road Brewing’s presence in Philomath’s downtown expanded with much more interior space for customers to enjoy a pint or two along with artisan pizza.
“It’s just kind of evolved,” Cox said when asked how the business had reached this point. “My son, Corey, and my wife, Vicki, and myself, we put this whole thing together … everything in here, we just pretty much winged it — from the lighting to the tables, the benches, the bar. We made everything in here.”
Cox started to put his expansion plan in motion with the 2023 purchase of neighboring commercial space on Main Street, a spot that had been occupied by Windsmith Music.
“We put in a brand new storefront and we cut holes in the walls to access and have flow through both sides,” Cox said. “We’re expanding our kitchen and we put two new ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) bathrooms in and we have ADA ramps now.”
An area with merchandise is also included and notably, space at the front of the room for musicians to set up and perform.
“The acoustics are fantastic, so we lucked out,” Cox said. “I couldn’t be happier how this turned out.”
The kitchen upgrade work continues.
“We’re putting in a new hood, two fryers, a flat-top six-burner stove, new commercial dishwasher, so it’ll be a full commercial kitchen,” Cox said. “We’ll have the capacity to do whatever we want.”
Cox said a final plan for how to use the space remains to be seen.
“We have a roll-up window on the side where we have street service,” Cox said. “What we’re going to do yet — we’ll see as we get there. We’re kind of doing baby steps without killing my staff.”
The changes to the kitchen will be welcomed with a staff currently working in a cramped space while making up to 90 pizzas a night on Fridays and Saturdays.
Dirt Road has 16 employees, including two full-time brewers along with the bar and kitchen staff.
Cox has plans to eventually expand the menu — he’s not sharing his plans just yet.
“You’ve just got to wait and see,” he said.
Dirt Road acquired a liquor license to eventually be able to offer full, on-premise sales. So those who favor mixed drinks over beer or wine may be accommodated at some point in the future.
“We’re working on a cocktail menu because not everyone’s a beer drinker,” Cox said. “Again, that’s something we’re trying to slow roll and just see how it goes.”
Cox said he doesn’t want Dirt Road to evolve into a late-night spot.
“I don’t want to be that 1 in the morning place, you know,” he said. “We might extend our hours this summer and go to 10 o’clock but we’ll see. Right now, the main thing is to get the kitchen completed so this place will flow a little better.”
Dirt Road’s new space opened to the public in January with Cox having intentions of a very soft opening. But word got around fast.
“I basically just unlocked the door and if you could figure out how to get in, you could come in,” Cox said. “That was on a Wednesday and two days later on Friday, we’re packed.”
Cox said Dirt Road will have music on Wednesdays and sometimes on Sundays. In addition, bingo and trivia nights alternate on Tuesdays.
Prior to adding the space next door, Cox had purchased a lot behind the building to be able to put up a structure to house Dirt Road’s brewery operation. Those plans have gone through the city’s planning process and a building that will be going in is currently sitting on Cox’s residential property.
To explain, Cox said that when he acquired the neighboring space, the brewery project was put on hold with his time and money going toward that effort. But now that things are wrapping up, he hopes to get the brewery building part of the project done this summer.
“The building will be up — the pad’s cut, it’s to grade, it’s been compacted, the utilities are there,” Cox said.
Dirt Road is currently renting space three blocks down the road in the block where NAPA Auto Parts is located.
“When the brewery gets up, I will have 150 feet of road frontage on 13th Street where I can have outdoor seating,” Cox said. “I’ll have another covered patio in front of the brewery with heated seating, so it will be a great place for events.”
Dirt Road will again host a summer street party with this year’s event set for June 28.
“This is the absolute hands-down best intersection in town,” Cox said. “I couldn’t be happier with the streetscape out there. I love the fact that Pioneer’s closed at 5, the banks close at 5, the lumber yard’s closed at 5 and I get all the parking and I really don’t have to fight with anyone. Dizzy (Hen) has a couple times in the evening and has some people over there but for the most part, they’re closed at 1 during the week.”
Dirt Road Brewing is open 2-9 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays.