At the center of the confusion is Wesley "Wes" Van De Vort, CEO of Wings & Arrow, the San Diego beverage company that acquired the Modern Times beer business. Following SanDiegoVille's reporting on the closure of the Far West Lounge in Encinitas and problems surrounding downtown's former Modern Times-branded Timestead restaurant, Van De Vort repeatedly emphasized that those establishments were operated by independent licensees rather than Wings & Arrow.
But his clarification raises an obvious question: If customers were encouraged to patronize businesses carrying the Modern Times name, why should the company controlling that name be surprised when the public associates those establishments' problems with the brand?
The latest developments include confirmation that a major Modern Times hospitality licensing agreement was terminated in October, that the company's former owner retains an ownership stake in Wings & Arrow, and that certain alcohol licenses remain under the previous ownership entity. Meanwhile, the businesses that once formed the public face of Modern Times' San Diego hospitality operations have closed, changed identities or entered another transition.
The controversy intensified after SanDiegoVille reported that Modern Times' Far West Lounge at 470 South Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas had permanently closed. The establishment initially announced a brief maintenance-related closure in June before citing unspecified licensing difficulties and remaining shuttered.
Van De Vort subsequently confirmed that the hospitality group licensing the Modern Times name had decided to abandon both Far West Lounge and the North Park Flavordome. Wings & Arrow elected to take over the North Park location but was unable to reach an agreement concerning the Encinitas property.
The explanation was that Wings & Arrow had inherited a licensing agreement with Victorum Corporate Strategies, a hospitality operation led by Duncan Ward, through arrangements originating with Modern Times' previous ownership.
"Essentially we had very little to do with the existing tasting rooms besides supplying them with beer," Van De Vort previously told SanDiegoVille.
He also expressed frustration that Wings & Arrow had limited oversight of the establishments operating under the Modern Times identity.
In subsequent correspondence, Van De Vort disclosed that the Victorum licensing agreement was terminated in mid-October. More revealingly, he acknowledged that the arrangement contained basic branding requirements but lacked written provisions governing the licensee's day-to-day business operations.
"The licensing agreement had basic branding standards, but nothing in writing governing how they ran their business," Van De Vort explained.
That disclosure is significant because it suggests that the companies responsible for the Modern Times brand allowed independently operated establishments to benefit from its name without imposing detailed contractual operational standards through that particular agreement.
There is an important difference between controlling a trademark and operating a restaurant. Wings & Arrow's ownership of the beer business does not automatically make it responsible for another company's payroll, rent, vendor payments or management decisions. Nor does the available evidence establish that Wings & Arrow directly caused the financial difficulties reported at the former hospitality locations.
Nevertheless, a company that authorizes another operator to trade on its established identity cannot reasonably expect customers to understand undisclosed corporate complexities that were largely invisible when the establishments were open for business.
Van De Vort has argued that negative publicity involving the hospitality operators should be attributed to the licensees rather than Modern Times.
"I believe the consumer should know that the issue involves a licensee, allowing them to attach the bad press to the licensee rather than the brand," he wrote to SanDiegoVille.
But the very purpose of licensing a recognizable brand is to capitalize on the public's familiarity with that name. Customers visiting a Modern Times tasting room or restaurant would naturally associate the experience with Modern Times, regardless of which limited liability company signed the lease or issued employees' paychecks.
The issue became particularly complicated downtown, where Timestead opened in late 2025 inside the former home of The Local Eatery & Drinking Hole and Resident Brewing at Fourth Avenue and C Street. The ambitious restaurant and bar was promoted as part of a new Modern Times hospitality era, featuring beer, cocktails, coffee, food and entertainment.
Timestead has since abandoned the Modern Times branding and become Infinite Bar & Grille. Its operations have also attracted scrutiny over employee wage complaints and conflicting accounts of management responsibilities.
SanDiegoVille previously reviewed documentation concerning a former employee's California wage claim after the employee reported difficulty cashing a paycheck issued by HP Modern Local LLC. The employee subsequently reported that the payment cleared approximately five weeks after issuance. Additional wage claims have been identified involving HP Modern Local LLC and Modern Times Hospitality LLC.
Questions about Timestead's management have also produced competing accounts involving Ward and restaurant operator Rhett Terrebonne. A preliminary management agreement reviewed by SanDiegoVille appeared to assign Terrebonne substantial operational responsibilities, although Terrebonne disputed signing the document.
Van De Vort maintains that Wings & Arrow was not involved in Timestead's operations and that the downtown restaurant was not covered by its Victorum licensing agreement.
That leaves another unresolved issue: What agreement originally authorized Timestead to operate publicly under the Modern Times name? The sign on the building explicitly said "Modern Times"
Van De Vort suggested that the authorization may have originated with MMT Craft, the entity associated with the brand's former owner, Craft 'Ohana.
"I believe this was with MMT Craft, but I don't have that in writing, it was not with me," he wrote.
The statement leaves the precise contractual relationship unconfirmed. It also illustrates how difficult it has become to determine which company authorized a particular business to use the Modern Times identity, even after direct questions to the executive currently overseeing the brand.
The ownership history helps explain how the situation developed.
Founded in 2013 by Jacob McKean, Modern Times rapidly grew from a Point Loma brewery into a nationally recognized craft beer business with locations throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. Its distinctive artwork, unconventional tasting rooms, coffee operations and experimental beers helped distinguish it during San Diego's craft brewing boom.
The company's aggressive expansion eventually gave way to financial difficulties and workplace controversies. McKean stepped down in 2021 amid allegations concerning the company's alleged "toxic" workplace culture, and Modern Times entered receivership in 2022.
Craft 'Ohana, the company associated with Maui Brewing Company, subsequently acquired Modern Times for approximately $15.3 million. The transaction preserved the beer brand but did not prevent further contraction.
In 2024, Modern Times closed its original Point Loma brewery, ending production at the facility that had served as its headquarters for more than a decade. Brewing subsequently shifted to AleSmith Brewing in Miramar under a contract production arrangement.
Wings & Arrow, known primarily for Ashland Hard Seltzer, became involved in Modern Times' operations before announcing its acquisition of the beer business in January 2025.
The acquisition appeared to establish Wings & Arrow as the new owner of Modern Times. But public records continued to associate MMT Craft with certain trademarks and alcohol licenses, raising questions about what assets had transferred and which entities remained involved.
Van De Vort has now clarified part of that arrangement.
"MMT Craft is holding the license, Wings and Arrow will take over once the new license is obtained," he wrote.
He further disclosed that "MMT Craft owns a percentage of Wings and Arrow that was negotiated in the purchase."
That means the former ownership entity did not simply exit the picture when Wings & Arrow reportedly acquired the Modern Times business. According to the company's CEO, MMT Craft retained an equity interest in Wings & Arrow while continuing to hold at least one alcohol license pending a transfer.
The size of that ownership stake, the associated voting rights and the full identities of Wings & Arrow's beneficial owners have not been established through the information provided to SanDiegoVille.
Nor does the continued appearance of MMT Craft in licensing records necessarily contradict Wings & Arrow's acquisition. Intellectual property, business assets, equity interests and alcohol licenses can be held by different entities, and regulatory transfers do not always coincide with corporate transactions.
But those distinctions make it difficult to describe Modern Times as belonging to one company without qualification.
The corporate picture is further complicated by separate litigation concerning Wings & Arrow's earlier business dealings.
In a federal lawsuit filed in Oregon in February 2026, investors alleged that they contributed more than $3 million in connection with a proposed merger involving Wings & Arrow and Ninkasi Holding Company. The plaintiffs contend that representations surrounding the proposed transaction were misleading or incomplete and that the merger ultimately failed to materialize.
The defendants include Ninkasi Holding Company, executive Nikos Ridge, former Wings & Arrow chief executive Josh Landan and two law firms.
Neither Wings & Arrow nor Van De Vort is named as a defendant in that lawsuit, an importance Van De Vort specifically emphasized. The investors' allegations have not been proven, and the federal court's June ruling addressed jurisdiction rather than the merits of the underlying claims.
The litigation does not establish misconduct by Modern Times or its current management. It does, however, form part of the financial and corporate history of the company that acquired the beer brand.
For customers, the practical consequences of these overlapping arrangements have been much easier to see than the corporate paperwork.
Far West Lounge in Encinitas has permanently closed. Timestead no longer operates under the Modern Times name. The future of the North Park Flavordome is tied to Wings & Arrow's plans to assume control of the property, while the status of other hospitality and coffee concepts previously promoted under Modern Times remains uncertain.
Van De Vort has maintained that Wings & Arrow's core beer business remains healthy and that the company is working to stabilize and expand the brand.
"The future is bright for the brand," he previously told SanDiegoVille. "We are steadily growing, and now with Wings & Arrow running point on all things Modern Times, we are confident in our plans for stability and growth."
The executive also apologized after responding to SanDiegoVille's earlier coverage with a disparaging social media comment, acknowledging that frustration over the headline had influenced his reaction.
His willingness to provide additional information has helped clarify several important points. Wings & Arrow did not directly operate every establishment that displayed the Modern Times name. The Victorum licensing arrangement was inherited from the previous ownership structure and has since been terminated. MMT Craft retains a financial interest in Wings & Arrow, and at least one alcohol-license transition remains unfinished.
Those explanations deserve to be included. They do not, however, resolve every question about oversight, ownership and accountability.
A licensing agreement may establish which company is contractually responsible for running a restaurant, but it does not make the brand's public association with that restaurant imaginary. The businesses were promoted using the Modern Times identity because that identity had commercial value.
Whether the brand owner had sufficient contractual authority to intervene, what it knew about problems before the closures and whether additional safeguards could have protected the brand and its customers remain unanswered questions. Those issues should not be confused with a finding of legal liability, which the available evidence does not support.
Modern Times' history has now passed through its founder, receivership, Craft 'Ohana, Wings & Arrow and multiple hospitality operators. Some former establishments have disappeared, others have changed names, and the previous owner still retains a stake in the company presented as the new owner.
For a business once known for its unmistakable identity, the most surprising development may be how difficult it has become to answer a seemingly simple question: Who, exactly, owns Modern Times, and who is responsible for what happens under its name?
Originally published on November 6, 2026.