Last week, Karl Strauss Brewing announced the opening of a new North County location, an administrative hub and center for its distribution business in the city of Poway. Less than a week later, San Diego’s longest-operating beer company has more North County news, but of an entirely different variety, sharing that its all-outdoor beer garden in San Marcos will permanently close following service on Sunday, August 11.
Dubbed “The Outpost”, the 85,000-square-foot location opened just north of the Las Posas Road exit on State Route 78 last October. While the company was excited about bringing what it terms a “test concept” to San Marcos, management admits that the venue fell short of its original intentions when it acquired the project site in 2018.
Initially, Karl Strauss had planned to construct a brewpub housing a research and development-focused brewhouse. While brewery-restaurants have been the company’s bread-and-butter since its 1989 debut, San Marcos was meant to be something of a departure from its sister venues, one which would introduce a new atmosphere and food-delivery system.
As described by then Vice President of Hospitality Steve Robbins in 2019, the San Marcos location was to include plenty of outdoor space and have a comfortable, homey backyard feel with a pair of Karl Strauss food trucks serving as the “restaurant” half of the equation. Then came the pandemic, which brought all hospitality operations to a screeching halt and switched the company and its contemporaries into survival mode.
As the company coped with ever-changing hospitality regulations, shifting consumer desires, an increasingly challenging beverage market, increased costs and staffing changes, the San Marcos site stood dormant for years until Karl Strauss’ executive team, headed by Vice President of Brewpubs Fred Glick, developed an efficient plan that would get the property up, running and generating revenue as quickly as possible.
The Outpost consists of a circular track with spokes leading to islets stocked with shaded seating. In addition to a tasting bar fashioned from a shipping container, the venue also features a Karl Strauss food truck serving tacos and burritos.
The above was seen as part one of a multiphase plan that would see the company build upon and expand the base project into something offering greater amenities, a concept closer to what management had envisioned prior to the pandemic. Unfortunately, phase one of The Outpost failed to draw the amount of regular business required to make it a viable profit center.
As explained by Chief Experience Officer Jennifer Briggs, the outdoor venue was often bathed in sun on high-temperature days or, alternatively, showered with rain during the winter and spring months. Both created inhospitable environments that impeded patronage and profitability.
“We had hoped to evolve this concept, but the challenges of operating a fully outdoor space, coupled with the hurdles that needed to be overcome for further development, led us to the difficult decision to end this experiment,” says Glick. “While we loved sharing our beer in an outdoor tasting room environment, the reality is that our full-service brewpubs really allow us to better connect with our guests through our award-winning beers and outstanding service.”
The Outpost was staffed by 11 employees, all of whom the company says are eligible for positions at other Karl Strauss locations.
“We sincerely appreciate the support of the San Marcos community during our time at The Outpost,” says Briggs. “We had some really good events, like our makers market, which drew good interest and visits. These local events were fun to do, but we were not finding them a sustainable approach to driving regular or consistent business.”
As a farewell gesture to its inland North County fans, Karl Strauss will offer customers at The Outpost 16-ounce Karl Strauss beers for the discounted price of $5 from 1 to 8 p.m. (or until the beer is gone) on Sunday, August 11.
The Outpost is located at 1293 Armorlite Drive in San Marcos