Leisuretown, Modern Times’ Anaheim, California-based taproom, complete with a swimming pool, has closed, Brewbound has confirmed. News of the closure was first reported by Spectrum News 1.
Social media profiles for the location have been taken down, but Spectrum News 1 cited a statement Modern Times posted last month that the location was “closing its doors for good.”
“It has been an incredible, joyous, heartbreaking, life-affirming journey, and — even though we are deeply saddened to see it end — we cannot thank you enough for being part of it,” the statement read. “This is a hard day, but we’re not done. Not by a long shot. More to come.”
The Anaheim taproom is the fifth Modern Times location to close this year. With its closing, 33 employees are out of work, Brewbound has learned. In February, the company shuttered its taprooms in Portland, Oregon; and Oakland, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, California, which resulted in the termination of 73 employees. Modern Times’ three remaining taprooms in Encinitas and San Diego are still open, according to the company’s website.
The end of operations in Anaheim happened in mid-October.
On Monday, Maui Brewing closed on its acquisition of Modern Times as the companies merged to form Craft ‘Ohana. Maui was slated to acquire the business for $15.3 million as the backup bidder in an auction that saw offers as high as $21 million. However, Maui ended up paying $10 million for the business, Brewbound has learned. The Anaheim location was excluded from the sale.
In August, former Modern Times CEO Jennifer Briggs was promoted to chief experience officer of the combined company, a role that was expected to oversee “human resources, cultural development, DE&I [diversity, equity and inclusion], marketing, brand development, direct-to-consumer and hospitality functions.” However, Briggs decided not to continue with the company and her last day was last week, she told Brewbound. The split was amicable.
Briggs steered Modern Times through stormy seas and to its eventual sale to Maui. The company’s troubles bubbled to the surface in May 2021 when founder and former CEO Jacob McKean resigned after Modern Times was called out for fostering a toxic workplace culture in the industry-wide reckoning that began on social media last year. Briggs’ tenure included guiding Modern Times through a court-ordered receivership, and an auction process that included more than a few hiccups.
Modern Times’ financial status was illustrated in court records during the receiver-mandated auction process in June, which revealed the company would owe a total of $8.28 million over the 186.3 months then-remaining on its lease. Rent for the Anaheim location cost $44,455 per month, more than twice the monthly rent of any other location.
In 2019, Modern Times valued itself at $264 million in financial records shared as part of a crowdfunding campaign on WeFunder.
Read past Brewbound coverage of Modern Times here by clicking on the “News” tab.