The latest rebranding was announced October 27 on social media, marking the third identity for the property at 1065 Fourth Avenue in little more than a year.
"We're excited to share that Timestead is now operating independently under new ownership as Infinite Bar & Grille," the business announced, promising upgrades while retaining its existing menu and familiar atmosphere.
The announcement also confirmed that Makali‘i Brewery Company is preparing to occupy the property's brewing facilities, although no opening date has been established.
But behind the cheerful announcement lies a considerably more complicated history, and newly reviewed government records raise further questions about the latest transition.
The location spent 22 years as The Local Eatery & Drinking Hole before becoming embroiled in controversy in summer 2025. Hospitality group Social Syndicate informed certain vendors that the downtown restaurant would permanently close June 30 and that the company was unable to fulfill outstanding financial obligations, including unpaid invoices. Except The Local remained open.
When SanDiegoVille questioned founder Mina Desiderio about the contradictory announcement, she responded with profanity, online insults against the publication and its founder, and insisted the business was continuing operations. Meanwhile, plans emerged to relocate The Local to the former Bootlegger space at 804 Market Street in East Village, a promised reopening that has yet to materialize.
The original downtown location eventually closed quietly that fall, clearing the way for Timestead, a Modern Times-branded restaurant and sports bar that opened in November 2025. That fresh start proved remarkably short-lived.
By August 2026, former employees were reporting repeated problems cashing payroll checks. SanDiegoVille reviewed a photograph of an August 28 paycheck issued by HP Modern Local LLC and documentation showing that the California Labor Commissioner's Office received a wage claim against Timestead on August 29.
One of those former employees has provided a troubling update.
"I was paid 5 weeks after. My check finally cleared," the worker told SanDiegoVille, adding that the wage claim had not yet produced any further communication.
The former employee alleged that two other servers still had not been paid, two additional workers waited approximately eight weeks for their wages, and the executive chef quit after allegedly going unpaid. The worker also claimed some employees received their paychecks through Venmo and that nearly all servers and bartenders had left the restaurant. Those additional allegations have not been independently verified, and the wage claim has not been adjudicated.
The payroll controversy exposed a bitter disagreement over who actually controlled the business. Duncan Ward, whose company HP Modern Local LLC operated the Modern Times-branded establishment, maintained that Rhett Terrebonne had assumed operational and financial responsibility in June as part of a contemplated ownership transaction. Terrebonne disputed that account, insisting he never acquired ownership, remained merely the general manager and had not signed an agreement accepting financial responsibility.
"I didn't sign any document," Terrebonne previously told SanDiegoVille.
However, a June 19 Preliminary Management & Confidentiality Agreement provided by Ward contained electronic signing records bearing Terrebonne's name and provisions assigning the prospective buyer responsibility for day-to-day operations and certain operating liabilities. The agreement also contemplated additional funding subject to written approval requirements. It expressly stated that ownership would not transfer until a final transaction closed and applicable approvals were obtained.
Terrebonne disputed signing the document, and SanDiegoVille has not independently authenticated the electronic signature. The parties' competing accounts remain unresolved.
Now, following the announcement of Infinite Bar & Grille, Ward has provided new information that clarifies the failed ownership transaction while raising further questions about the restaurant's current operation.
"HP Modern Local LLC has not sold or transferred the business and received no payment," Ward told SanDiegoVille in an October 27 email. He said his company's lease at 1065 Fourth Avenue was terminated by agreement with the landlord effective September 24, 2026.
According to Ward, the lease termination agreement identifies Niuhi Brewing Company, LLC as the incoming tenant and records that the new tenant was already occupying and operating the premises when the previous lease ended. Ward did not provide the lease termination agreement with his response, and SanDiegoVille has not independently verified its contents.
The identification of Niuhi is particularly noteworthy. Terrebonne previously operated a brewery under that name, and California business records reviewed by SanDiegoVille identified him as a manager of Niuhi Brewing Company LLC, which was listed as suspended by the Franchise Tax Board effective May 2025. Whether the company's status has since changed remains unconfirmed. The earlier suspension does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing in connection with Infinite Bar & Grille.
Ward confirmed that the purchase contemplated in June never closed, no final purchase agreement was signed and no ABC approval was obtained.
"Neither I, HP Modern Local LLC, Victorum nor any related entity has an ownership interest, management role or financial responsibility at the location," Ward stated.
He also clarified that the June 19 management agreement was never superseded or incorporated into a completed transaction. According to Ward, it governed the period from June 19 until his company vacated the premises, during which Terrebonne assumed day-to-day operations and financial control.
The distinction is significant because the restaurant's announcement of new ownership does not necessarily reflect a completed purchase of Timestead. Instead, Ward's account describes the termination of one company's lease and the arrival of another tenant, with the precise relationship among Niuhi Brewing Company, Infinite Bar & Grille and Makali‘i Brewery Company still unexplained.
The transition also leaves unresolved questions about employee compensation and outstanding business obligations.
Ward maintains that debts incurred before June 19 remain the responsibility of HP Modern Local LLC, while obligations arising afterward, including payroll, fall to the party operating the business under the management agreement.
"The pay issues I'm aware of all arose after June 19," Ward wrote, adding that he has not had access to the business's bank or payroll records since July and cannot confirm whether everyone has been paid.
That interpretation remains disputed. Terrebonne previously insisted that Ward was responsible for payroll and accounts payable, and the management agreement's allocation of financial responsibility does not necessarily determine which parties may be legally liable for unpaid wages under California employment law.
Meanwhile, newly reviewed California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control records raise additional questions about the transition.
As of October 27, ABC license application 674553 remained associated with HP Modern Local LLC, doing business as Modern Times Pub, with Ward still listed as a member and manager. The company's permanent Type 47 liquor-license application was marked withdrawn October 23, just four days before the restaurant's latest rebranding announcement.
Ward, however, said his company actually submitted the withdrawal request at ABC's San Diego office on October 2, after its lease had ended and it no longer occupied the premises. He characterized the withdrawal as part of winding down the former operation rather than a development connected to the rebranding.
The ABC records also listed one temporary permit issued through December 24, 2026, while three earlier temporary permits had expired. The application carried three administrative holds: a Form 220 hold dating to October 2025, a Board of Equalization hold from January 2026 and a Franchise Tax Board hold from February 2026. The publicly reviewed records did not explain the underlying amounts or circumstances.
Despite the announcement of independent new ownership, SanDiegoVille found no publicly listed ABC transfer application, replacement license or license under the Infinite Bar & Grille name in the records examined October 27.
A predecessor license associated with The Local also remained listed as active, although its displayed expiration date had passed.
The absence of a publicly listed transfer does not establish wrongdoing or unlawful alcohol service. Regulatory filings may not yet appear in the public database, and the current operator's licensing arrangements require clarification.
The proposed brewery raises additional questions. The pending Type 23 small beer manufacturer license for the adjoining former Resident Brewing production space at 411 C Street remained under BFH, LLC, another company managed by Ward.
That application has been pending since October 2025, well before Terrebonne's involvement with Timestead became public. SanDiegoVille found no ABC license or application under the Makali‘i name in the records reviewed.
Ward further stated that BFH, LLC has no arrangement with Makali‘i Brewery Company, leaving unanswered what licensing arrangements the new brewery intends to pursue.
County environmental health records now identify the restaurant as Infinite Bar and Grill with a status of "Under New Ownership," although they do not identify the new owner. The available inspection history lists an October 6 re-inspection with one minor holding-temperature violation and no posted grade or score. Earlier inspection records under the property's previous names were not retrievable through the searches conducted.
The brewery's arrival is hardly a surprise. Terrebonne previously discussed plans to launch Makali‘i in the former Resident Brewing facility adjoining Timestead, describing the Hawaiian-inspired concept as a fresh start following his earlier Niuhi Brewing venture. What remains unclear is how the new brewery and restaurant are legally structured and whether they share ownership, employees or operating arrangements.
The restaurant's transition also represents another step away from Modern Times, the once-celebrated San Diego craft beer brand whose financial collapse and subsequent ownership changes have produced a fragmented network of brewing, licensing and hospitality operations.
Wings & Arrow, which owns the Modern Times beer brand, previously told SanDiegoVille that it had no operational involvement with Timestead and that the restaurant was not part of its licensing agreement. Now even the Modern Times name has disappeared from the establishment.
The latest rebranding also follows the permanent closure of Modern Times' Far West Lounge in Encinitas, another casualty of the once-mighty San Diego craft beer empire. Founded in Point Loma in 2013 by Jacob McKean, Modern Times grew into a nationally recognized brewery with eight locations spanning California and Oregon, including outposts in Los Angeles, Anaheim, Santa Barbara, Oakland and Portland. At its peak, the company ranked among the nation's largest craft breweries, but aggressive expansion, mounting financial difficulties and workplace controversies preceded a dramatic collapse.
Modern Times began shuttering locations in 2022 before entering receivership and being acquired by Maui Brewing's parent company for approximately $15.3 million. The original Point Loma brewery subsequently closed in 2024, with beer production eventually shifting to AleSmith Brewing in Miramar. The brand is now owned by Wings & Arrow, while its hospitality operations were separately licensed to other operators. With the Encinitas location shuttered and Timestead abandoning the Modern Times name, the North Park Flavordome is now the brand's last remaining tasting room, a remarkable fall for a company that once operated a sprawling West Coast network of breweries, restaurants and taprooms.
For customers, Infinite Bar & Grille promises familiar faces, largely unchanged food and an eventual new brewery. For anyone following the business history, however, the latest transformation raises questions about the identity of the new operator, the status of its liquor licenses and whether former employees have received the compensation they claim remains outstanding.
Ward's latest statements establish his position that the contemplated sale never closed, his company's lease ended September 24, and Niuhi Brewing Company, LLC was identified as the incoming tenant. They do not independently establish who currently owns or operates Infinite Bar & Grille, whether the new tenant's corporate status has been resolved or how the restaurant's outstanding obligations will ultimately be addressed.
SanDiegoVille sought clarification from Ward and Terrebonne regarding the latest ownership transition, licensing arrangements and employee payroll issues. Ward provided a detailed written response October 27, while Terrebonne had not responded to the latest inquiry as of publication.
After The Local's contradictory closure announcement, an East Village relocation that never materialized, Timestead's disputed management arrangement and employee payroll complaints, downtown San Diego's revolving-door restaurant has another name and another promise of a fresh beginning.
Whether Infinite Bar & Grille represents a genuine financial and operational reset or simply the latest chapter in an unusually messy hospitality saga remains to be seen.
For now, the address is the same, the menu is largely unchanged, and the questions surrounding its ownership and operations are anything but settled.
Originally published October 27, 2026. Updated October 27, 2026, to include statements from Duncan Ward concerning the terminated lease, proposed ownership transaction, employee payroll obligations and alcohol-license applications.
