Ask Lookout: Will the beer garden in the old Wienerschnitzel lot on Soquel Avenue ever open?

If I had a dollar for every time someone has asked me this question over the last three years of reporting at Lookout Santa Cruz, I would definitely have enough to buy myself a couple of pints at Beer Run Santa Cruz, the beer garden that has been in progress in the old Wienerschnitzel lot in Midtown for the last eight years – whenever it finally opens. 

That could be soon, with an emphasis on “could.”

Over the years, a variety of different business opportunities and setbacks have pulled the owners in different directions and slowed the opening process, says co-owner Kym DeWitt, who also owns Beer Thirty Bottle Shop and Pourhouse in Soquel, Beer Mule Bottle Shop and Pourhouse in Watsonville and the Trout Farm Inn in Felton with business partners Shawd DeWitt, Olive Moredock and Craig Renfroe.

But the opening is on the horizon, says DeWitt. Just this week, the place saw the floor refinished, and the countertops and wall of 38 draft beer taps are ready to be installed. Guz Bros, the kitchen team behind the food at Beer Mule, is creating a menu of hot dogs and sausages in homage to the location’s history. Yes, there will be a chili dog reminiscent of the ones served at the majestic hot dog chain that called this lot home for a few decades, but think more artisanal, handcrafted sausages and condiments rather than fast food. 

There are just a few things left to do, like refinishing the weathered outdoor furniture and landscaping the yard. All of the major infrastructure is complete, and they’re pretty much “ready to go,” DeWitt says. “There’s nothing holding us back right now.” 

It sounds like all systems go, but DeWitt hesitates to give an opening date – perhaps rightly so. “We don’t want to give a date, because this has been the one little baby that, for some reason, there’s always some little surprise,” says DeWitt. 

What’s the hold up? Technically, nothing, but Beer Run Santa Cruz’s progress has been delayed so many times, excited potential customers have learned not to hold their breath. “Good things come to those who wait,” DeWitt told Lookout in 2022 – a statement that was both encouraging and prophetic. 

Beer Run Santa Cruz has been in the works for almost a decade. The Wienerschnitzel location closed in 2007, and the lot, with its dilapidated – if iconic – A-frame hot dog shack, had been vacant for years when DeWitt and her business partners purchased it in 2015, the year after they founded Beer Thirty. At that time, craft beer mania was at its height. Excited rumors began to spread that the then-new, popular Soquel beer garden would be getting a sibling in Midtown.

But as the years passed and and opening day never materialized, the lot began to develop its own kind of lore. Every year or so, some construction would take place on the property and social media channels would twitter, wondering if a grand opening was finally on the horizon. But it never materialized and a few months later the weeds would grow, leaving community members to scratch their heads and wonder what the heck was going on. 

So, what happened? 

Soon after they first purchased the property, the team realized they needed to create a new business plan after they received the construction bids and saw that their original idea would cost three times their budget. Not long after, they put Beer Run on pause to focus on opening Beer Mule at The Hangar in Watsonville. It opened in early 2019. 

Around that time, the opportunity to develop the Trout Farm Inn fell into DeWitt and her business partners’ hands, and they couldn’t resist bringing the beloved and historic institution back to life. The project took their full attention and slowed work on Beer Run Santa Cruz.

The pandemic halted all development, and not long after the Trout Farm opened in 2022, a county health inspector revealed that the construction of the pool had not been installed correctly and needed to be completely redone. Wet storms and cold weather prevented construction and turned an anticipated five-week closure into eight months. The Trout Farm fully reopened last May. 

The latest hurdle has been waiting more than a year for Beer Run Santa Cruz’s structural engineer to submit drawings and calculations to the city in order to apply for a change to a building permit. It’s unclear to DeWitt why the application took so long, but by the time it was completed, they were facing another bad winter. “It didn’t make sense for us to move the project forward given the seating for this venue is 100% outdoors,” says DeWitt. 

With nothing left in their way and clear summer skies shining over Soquel Avenue, the owners are once again working to bring Beer Run to life. 

Once it’s open, Beer Run will be similar to Beer Thirty and Beer Mule, offering almost 40 beers and ciders on draft and a bottle shop with beers to-go, with a focus on brews from small producers that “you can’t get at the grocery store,” says DeWitt. 

The bar, bottle shop and kitchen will be inside the refurbished A-frame building where 49-cent hot dogs once ruled. All of the seating is outside, with three large umbrellas for shade and weather protection. As a result, DeWitt is hoping for some dry days as the end of the year approaches. “We hope the weather gods are good to us.” 

There’s room for 500 guests on the lot, but capacity is currently limited to 100 people due to the number of bathrooms (DeWitt plans on building more down the line). Beer Run isn’t allowed to host amplified music; instead, DeWitt would like to see the space become a neighborhood hub. “It’d be great to see local book clubs and local family nights and gatherings happening in the beer garden there,” she says. “We’re really trying to be good neighbors.”