The Rusted Rake Farm Eatery is set to close on Sunday, Sept. 8 as the owners lose another battle with the province. (Rusted Rake Farm/Facebook) farm to table Nanoose Bay restaurant to close after losing ongoing battle with provincial land commission Sep 6, 2019 8:37 AM

NANAIMO — The owners of a beloved Nanoose Bay restaurant are fed up after being dealt another blow in a battle with the province over how their business operates.

Will Gemmell and Jodie Lucas, owner of Rusted Rake Farm and the restaurant on their lands on Northwest Bay Rd., announced Friday, Sept. 6 their recent denial from the Agricultural Land Commission to expand with a brewery was too much to bear.

The eatery will close for the last time at the end of Sunday, Sept. 8, after what they called a “long and tiresome battle” in a social media post on Friday.

In comments to NanaimoNewsNOW on Friday, Gemmell said they believed they had provided enough support to the commission to show how the area was ripe for an eatery and brewery. They had already planted two acres of barley and estimated they’d spent roughly $300,000 on equipment.