![]() ![]() With their friends’ encouragement, they decided South Oceanside needed a brewery of its own so they opened South O and hired Maurey Fletcher (formerly of Booze Brothers Brewing and Golden Coast Mead) as their head brewer. Eventually, Whitehead built a miniature bar with four beers on tap in his garage, where they invited friends and neighbors over to taste their experimental brews. Neighbors who live a few doors apart, the men started homebrewing together in Whitehead’s garage to socialize over beers while all the bars were closed. Whitehead and Steinmetz of South O Brewing say their business was conceived during the pandemic. (John Gastaldo/For The San Diego Union-Tribune) Many businesses are still struggling to recover, Anderson said, so a program like O’Side Sips can help new people discover new breweries and coffeehouses in a crowded market. His Privateer pizzeria was named 2021 Small Business of the Year for the state’s 36th Senate District because of his volunteer efforts to coordinate COVID recovery efforts between local restaurants, the city’s chamber of commerce and the city. In 2021, $152 million was spent at the city’s restaurants, compared to $139 million at the city’s hotels.Īnderson with Privateer said the rapid return of travel spending in Oceanside has been a welcome relief for hospitality business owners after being partially or fully shut down in 2020. Geller said the growth of chef-driven restaurants, beer tasting rooms, wine bars, coffeehouses and more over the past decade has turned the city’s culinary industry into one of the major drivers of its economy.Īccording to a survey published in May by Dean Runyan Associates, travel spending in Oceanside grew by 66 percent between 20, and the spending category that experienced the largest gain during that year was restaurants. The city is also home to two craft distilleries: Oceanside Distillers, which opened in 2017, and Pacific Coast Spirits, which arrived in 2020. Also over the years, a dozen more craft breweries and wineries have opened in the city, including the award-winning Craft Coast Beer and Carruth Cellars’ Hangar76 urban winery project near Oceanside Municipal Airport, which opened in April. These include chef William Eick’s Matsu and chef Roberto Alcocer’s Valle, two new tasting-menu-only fine dining spots Hi-Lo and High-Pie, two eclectic new eateries run by F10 Creative, a successful Palm Springs hospitality group and Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub, a regionally acclaimed and adventurous sushi spot. Between 20, 43 sit-down (known as “casual dining”) restaurants opened in Oceanside. Geller said a much bigger wave of new openings began around 2017 and - despite the pandemic - continues to grow. But the recession put the brakes on the industry’s expansion for many years. Geller said the success of those businesses proved that Oceanside residents and its visiting tourists were willing to support more upscale and craft hospitality options. ![]() That same year, just a few blocks away, the city’s first homegrown brewery, Breakwater Brewing, opened and San Diego’s Harney Sushi opened a glitzy North County outlet. ![]() Then in 2008, San Diego’s Cohn Restaurant Group took a leap of faith and opened the fine-dining restaurant 333 Pacific near the foot of Oceanside Pier. Back then, Oceanside’s restaurant community paled by comparison to that in nearby Carlsbad. Michelle Geller, Oceanside’s economic development manager and a self-professed restaurant-lover, moved to the city in 2007. (Howard Lipin/The San Diego Union-Tribune) ![]()
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