Backyard Kitchen & Tap Opens February 27 | New PB Eatery To Employ Many Displaced By Pacific Beach Alehouse Closing Due To Fire

February 22, 2015

Backyard Kitchen & Tap, the newest restaurant to join the Pacific Beach community, is set to open Friday, Feb. 27. The restaurant is part of OMG Hospitality Group, whose local holdings include Pacific Beach AleHouse, Union Kitchen & Tap Encinitas and Union Kitchen & Tap Gaslamp. In light of the fire at Pacific Beach AleHouse this past Monday, Backyard Kitchen & Tap is employing a large majority of the staff while the restaurant is closed for repairs over the next few months.

On Monday, Feb. 16, a grease fire in the kitchen at Pacific Beach AleHouse turned into a 2-alarm fire, causing about a million dollars in damage. The kitchen sustained substantial damage that is still being assessed, and although the Brewery does not appear to have been affected, it will not be operational during reconstruction.

“Our plan is to restore the kitchen and make some other changes to the place so it is even better than it already was. We have received a lot of support from the community and other businesses in our industry,” said Johnny Leal, General Manager at Pacific Beach AleHouse. “We are currently focusing on taking care of our staff as we get our kitchen built back up.”

The majority of the employees at Pacific Beach AleHouse have been placed in OMG Hospitality Group restaurants, while some local establishments have temporarily hired others. The Duck Dive, another local Pacific Beach bar and restaurant, will be featuring a guest bartender from Pacific Beach AleHouse for the next few weeks.

The added Pacific Beach AleHouse staff is filling roles that were still vacant at Backyard Kitchen & Tap and will not affect any staff that was already hired. While Pacific Beach AleHouse is closed for repairs, Backyard Kitchen & Tap will feature 4 to 6 items on their menu from Pacific Beach AleHouse. Backyard Kitchen & Tap is at 832 Garnet Avenue where the old Moondoggies was located. It has been extensively remodeled and now features an outdoor area with living walls, cabanas, fire pits and an indoor and outdoor bar.