El Cajon Brewing Company, Chapter 11

You just answered your own qeustion on why he should be blacklisted. He opened a brewupb without any knowledge, or interest in the brewing aspect. Refused to listen to his head brewer on the needs of a brewpub to...make beer...then fired him. The fact it's his brother is just fodder. He's in bankruptcy 1 freakin' year after opening and is screwing over the city and his own landlord. With all the other fantastic world class breweries and beer joints, there's no reason to support this place.

Blacklist it, let it fail and then someone else will come in, rebrand the building and build a business with a solid positive record who *gasps* isn't an utter Galaxy-Class Asshat. It's a great facility with a top notch brewhouse...just run by a moron.

 

That's probably the one bright spot out of all of this...so far. The North County Times published a story yesterday that ECBC is still making its loan payments...so far.

 

While your suggestions are appealing, life and business are never that that simple. If you let the business crash and burn without a viable plan of action, everybody gets hosed: the employees, the vendors, the landlord and the tax payers of the City of El Cajon. In a Chapter 11, there is a chance of either a viable plan of reorganization and a payment plan OR a sale to an interested third party. But right now, you've got a business that owes over $645,000 to the City of El Cajon and probably more than $100,000 in back rent. If you sell the business, you probably need to make a deal with the city and the landlord and they will have to take a haircut in a sale. The might have to take a haircut in a plan of reorganization too, but I'm willing to given them a little time.

Take a look at what happened to Hostess. Yes, Hostess was run by a bunch of turds. So was the bakers union that went on strike. The Teamsters Union, who represented 2/3 of the Hostess workings, was BEGGING them to call off the strike. Now you have over 18,000 people out of work and I'm betting that Bimbo Bakeries will swoop in and pay less than $300 million for what's left. That's nearly $1 billion on pension benefits that won't get paid.

In this case, I think everybody is better off from a money standpoint if ECBC can tread water until their get their act together.

 

You're assuming the Galaxy-Class Asshat that owns ECBC will be able to run the business into profits. Given his stellar record so far, in which he's ignored solid advice, I'd say your optimism isn't warrented. Public funds aren't some endless piggy bank to be raided, via bankruptcy I hope the city can force the owner out, sell it off and recoup some of their funds. I'm sure the drama will continue and if he remains in business here's a tip:

Hire a goddamn excellent brewer, give the guy what he needs to make world-class beer and you'll do fine. If you make average beer, you're going to fail. The damage already done in the community and online isn't going to drive business to him.

I'll never step foot in that joint again, nor will I recomend it to anyone. While not a brewpub, I do recomend West Coast BBQ in La Mesa as an alternative. Great beer, great prices and damn good food.

 

While I may be hoping for the best, I'm not assuming anything with respect the owner's ability to make this place profitable. I do agree with a lot of the suggestions that have been made here to make the place look like it isn't dead and I even overheard staffers there talking about things like getting a full liquor license and flip flopping the bar and restaurant areas. Are the plans feasible? Will they or have they hired good brew master? Those are good questions. But forcing the owners out will rarely workout as well as a negotiated purchase.

I used Hostess as example of how a Chapter 11 can go extremely bad for everybody. At the other extreme, you have the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that case, the owner was Soverign-Class Asshat. (Side note: Soverign class starships are larger than the Galaxy class starships).

Major League Baseball was trying to force the owner out and the owner filed Chapter 11. Eventually, the bankruptcy court approved a sale. All the creditors got paid, the team is still in tact and the Asshat owner got a huge return on his investment. Everybody wins. Two cases, to extremely different results.

Thanks for tip on West Coast BBQ. I like to support local businesses, particularly those in East County.

 

I prefer to think of myself as a geek instead of a nerd.

 

only nerds say that

 

You guys are both correct. One is focusing on how the product needs to change. One is focusing on the $$$/legal issues that need to change. The place can't survive without changes to both apparently.

 

I will disagree with the notion that house beers are absent.

 

Literally read this thread all the way from post 1...without a beer. Much better than what's on TV. Think I need a beer now

 

Here is some seriously funny stuff, It would need proper translation but it sounds like ECBC is trying to appeal to a different market.......anyone know Spanish?

http://chic.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/3860464

 

ECBC need to sell out to Pizza Port.

 

Pizza Ports West of the 5 only.

 

I depends on your definition. Their future production facility in Carlsbad will be east of the 5, and I think they'll have a restaurant of sorts there.

I think everybody is missing the best fit here, though: Hillcrest Brewing East.

 

Pizza Port El Cajon. You watch the flock flow....

 

If a beer is brewed, and nobody drinks it, was it actually ever brewed?

 

Why is this funny to you?