January 12, 2018
After two decades in downtown San Diego, Hooters - the sports bar and grill known for its scantily clad waitstaff and chicken wings - closed in late 2017. Later this year, the 6,600 square-foot space will become the second San Diego outpost of Draft, a craft beer bar and gastropub that first debuted on the Mission Beach boardwalk in Belmont Park in Summer 2014.
As part of an ongoing collaboration between Pacifica Enterprises investment collective (Belmont Park, Decoy Dockside Dining, Cannonball) and Eat.Drink.Sleep hospitality group (JRDN, Tower23 Hotel) that started in 2012, the first Draft location opened in June 2014 to kick-off the ongoing revitalization of San Diego's historic Belmont Park. The bar and restaurant has been a hotspot ever since due to its views and brews, serving up an impressive list of 69 draft beers with more than 30 bottles, as well as offering a casual beachside dining menu that was initially handcrafted by then-Executive Chef Brad Wise, who is now chef and partner at Trust and Hundred Proof in Hillcrest.
Hooters had been looking for someone to take over the downtown San Diego space since 2016, and the sale to Pacifica Enterprises was finally facilitated with the help of Location Matters retail commercial brokerage firm in late 2017. The chain of sports bar restaurants continues to operate three Hooters locations in San Diego, specifically in Mission Valley, National City, and San Marcos.
Not much is known yet about the plans for Draft Gaslamp, although we expect that the location will be similar to the Mission Beach branch, offering a sports bar vibe with plenty of flat screen televisions, as well as a menu centered around craft beer and elevated tavern fare. We anticipate that Eat.Drink.Sleep's Corporate Executive Chef David Warner will be putting his touches on the food menu to add some Gaslamp-specific additions. Expect the Draft Gaslamp to debut around Summer 2018.
