The team behind Wokou Ramen & Yakitori, which shuttered its Pacific Beach location last fall, is rebranding their restaurant space in San Diego's Crown Point to become The Hen House, a "female-forward" all-day brunch bar set to open later this year.
From Empress Capital Investments founders Joey Pena and James Langley, Wokou Ramen & Yakitori's is a Japanese fusion concept that first unveiled in June 2017 within the Village at Pacific Highlands Ranch in Carmel Valley. After about a year and a half in development due to the installation of a yakitori grill, the second outpost of Wokou opened in a 2,800 square-foot corner unit in San Diego's Crown Point in early 2020, just a month before the pandemic struck. During the course of its unfortunately timed tenure, the Crown Point location was rarely busy. In October 2021, Wokou permanently closed in Crown Point.
Rather than abandon the property entirely, Empress Capital Investments is in the process of reconceptualizing the Crown Point restaurant space to become The Hen House, which will be an all-day brunch restaurant rumored to transition into a fried chicken-centric eatery at night. With promotional phrases like "delicious micheladas for sexy bitcheladas," and "muffin can stop me I'm all the way up," the allegedly 'female-forward' Hen House concept was created with the assistance of Cubic Orange, a San Diego-based design company that helps craft brand identities and product launches. The Hen House will compete directly with The Menu, a longtime breakfast restaurant which sits right across the street.
"We are a concept centered around Brunch & Empowerment with delicious tapas dishes meant to be enjoyed family-style," explained a representative from The Hen House. "We are excited to be on the corner of Ingraham, surrounded by other local small businesses in the neighborhood, and hoping that the foot traffic allows for each venue location to succeed during this trying time."
Empress Capital Investments also operates Leap Coffee in Escondido, Crafted Culture in Sable Springs, and two Death by Tequila locations - the original in Encinitas and another at The Village at Pacific Highlands Ranch in Carmel Valley. Empress partner James Langley is also the founder and CEO of Resident Brewing in downtown San Diego and has been instrumental in the continued growth of Rise & Shine Restaurant Group's Breakfast Republic chain.
The Hen House is anticipated to open by this spring at 3801 Ingraham Street in San Diego's Crown Point area. For more information, follow The Hen House on Instagram.
Empress Capital Investments also operates Leap Coffee in Escondido, Crafted Culture in Sable Springs, and two Death by Tequila locations - the original in Encinitas and another at The Village at Pacific Highlands Ranch in Carmel Valley. Empress partner James Langley is also the founder and CEO of Resident Brewing in downtown San Diego and has been instrumental in the continued growth of Rise & Shine Restaurant Group's Breakfast Republic chain.
The Hen House is anticipated to open by this spring at 3801 Ingraham Street in San Diego's Crown Point area. For more information, follow The Hen House on Instagram.
