From the early days of drawing up their business plan, Greg and Jade Malkin knew they wanted to maximize the reach of their business, Little Miss Brewing, by opening as many offshoot tasting rooms around San Diego County as possible. It wasn’t long after opening their Miramar brewery in 2016 that they went to work on a pair of satellites in Normal Heights and Ocean Beach. While the latter was denied by the City of San Diego mid-construction, it didn’t deter the Malkins from forging forward. Little Miss has since built tasting rooms in downtown’s East Village, La Mesa and Escondido. And later this fall, a fifth satellite will go into orbit in East County’s Lakeside community.
To date, Lakeside has never had a brewery or even a brewery-owned venue to call its own. The Malkins like the idea of being the first such business to settle there. “We looked in Lakeside because we wanted a location where the customer base would be similar to our Escondido location. After what happened in Ocean Beach, we try to only pick spots where we are wanted and our presence will be celebrated,” says Greg. “Lakeside’s closest brewery is BNS Brewing in Santee. Lakeside needs a tasting room and we need thirsty beer drinkers.”
Little Miss’ new tasting room is being installed in a former bar near the intersection of two of Lakeside’s commercial thoroughfares, Woodside Avenue and Winter Gardens Boulevard. It is 1,600 square feet with a 400-square-foot permanent patio. The Malkins say they may also add temporary patio space during the pandemic, but without it the venue’s tables and bar seating can accommodate up to 99 people. The interior design of each Little Miss location pays homage to one of the U.S.’s World War II allies. So far, they have saluted the United Kingdom, France, Canada and even the U.S.S.R. Lakeside will have an Australian theme. The Malkins say to expect something “Crocodile Dundee-ish.”
Little Miss is on pace to produce 2,000 barrels of beer this year, with most of it sold through its tasting rooms. Operating so many hospitality spots in the age of COVID-19 has presented numerous challenges, but the Malkins have been pleasantly surprised at how well their regular customers have supported them through the turbulent year. Despite the pandemic, they have been profitable so far in 2020, fueling their bullishness on expansion. When asked if Little Miss is eyeing any other neighborhoods as potential business sites, they say they like Chula Vista’s Eastlake community. But first, Lakeside.
“When the average San Diegan thinks of Lakeside, they think it’s super far away, but it’s actually only a 20-minute drive from our main facility in Miramar. Our Senior Brewer, Stephen Thomas, lives in Lakeside and brags to the other brewers about his short commute,” says Greg, who, other than hopeful entrepreneurs behind an operation called Knox Corners Brewing that never came to fruition, is the only brewery owner to get this far in Lakeside.
We’re excited to be able to provide the community with something it probably should have had a long time ago.”
Greg Malkin, Co-owner, Little Miss Brewing
The Lakeside tasting room is on pace to open around the end of October, though no firm date has been set yet. Once open, hours of operation will be 2 to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday, noon to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and Sundays from noon to 9 p.m.
Little Miss Brewing’s tasting room will be located at 12245 Woodside Avenue in Lakeside