New Belgium shuttered its San Francisco taproom today, after nearly three years in business, the company announced.
“The San Francisco taproom and restaurant has suffered financially in recent years, and, after careful consideration, we have decided to focus and invest in our other hospitality operations,” New Belgium said in a press release.
The taproom, located in the city’s Mission Bay neighborhood, opened in April 2021. Prior to that, Australia’s Little Creatures, a sibling brewery to New Belgium under the Lion Little World Beverages umbrella, occupied the 6,300 sq. ft. space.
Little Creatures opened in July 2019, four months before Lion’s acquisition of New Belgium was announced and eight months before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of the on-premise nationwide. Little Creatures closed the taproom in March 2020 and never reopened.
New Belgium announced it was rebranding the space in September 2020.
All employees have been offered severance packages or, when applicable, jobs in other parts of the New Belgium ecosystem. Ramon Tomayo, who has been the taproom’s head brewer since it opened, will remain with the company, a spokesperson told Brewbound.
“Ramon Tomayo has brought incredible creativity and innovation to the New Belgium San Francisco brewing team,” the spokesperson said. “We are eager to continue working alongside Ramon as he lends his talents to other teams within New Belgium moving forward.”
The taproom seemed poised for success, located within walking distance of the Golden State Warriors’ home arena, the Chase Center, as well as Oracle Park, where the San Francisco Giants play. However, fundamental shifts in consumer behavior, driven in part by the stickiness of remote work following the pandemic, has changed the hospitality industry in several cities, including San Francisco.
Between March and June 2023,the number of visitors to downtown San Francisco had recovered to just 67.3% of what it had been during the same period in 2019, according to a study from the University of Toronto cited by Axios. Of the country’s 55 largest cities, San Francisco ranked 38th in recovery, the report said.
“I want to thank the New Belgium San Francisco team for their years of hard work, creativity, and spirit of innovation,” New Belgium CEO Shaun Belongie said in the release. “The San Francisco community has welcomed us with open arms, and we have greatly enjoyed being able to share a beer over the years.”
New Belgium operates taprooms at its breweries in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Asheville, North Carolina, as well as an outpost at Denver International Airport.