Photograph by Douglas Rider
Customer Service: Bartender Sandy Dabanian picks up an order for a guest at the new Stoddard's Brewhouse and Eatery.
New Stoddard's Brewhouse and Eatery opens in downtown area
Restaurant is filled to capacity on first day
By Amy Jenkins
Several years of anticipation finally ended on Feb. 9 when Stoddard's Brewhouse and Eatery, located at 201 E. Campbell Ave., opened to the public. And on the first day of business, owner Bob Stoddard said, "So far it has been great. We've got our first dollar on the wall."
All 25 lunch tables were filled up between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., according to Stoddard. "We got as many people as we anticipated and more," he said. As for dinner, between 4 p.m. and midnight, the bar was packed by 5 p.m. and seats slowly filled up to capacity.
This is Stoddard's second restaurant. The first Stoddard's Brewhouse and Eatery opened in 1993 on Murphy Avenue in Sunnyvale. On March 6, 1998, an application was filed with the planning commission of the city of Campbell for Stoddard's. After approval by the planning commission and the city council, on May 19, 1998, construction began.
When asked why he chose the city of Campbell for a second location, Stoddard's response was twofold.
"To find a piece of property this large in a downtown area is hard, and this is one of the only downtowns in the area I feel like we could make an impact."
The restaurant has already made an impact on Campbell residents Amelia and Wally Sommer. While waiting to be seated, Amelia said she has been waiting a long time for Stoddard's to open.
"I've been watching it grow," says Amelia, who has lived in Campbell for 25 years. "I drive past it everyday because we only live a block away, and we came by to see if it was open. I drove by today and told my husband, 'I think it's open,' but if it wasn't open we were going to go someplace else."
After looking over the menu, Amelia decided to order a sausage dish, and Wally said he was going to have the skirt steak. The restaurant's chef, Rudolfo Granados, who worked at the restaurant in Sunnyvale for several years, will now prepare the "California cuisine" style food for the Campbell location.
Aside from food, Stoddard's is well known for beer. The beers have won numerous national and international prizes, including the gold medal for English-style pale ale in the United States from the Great American Beer Festival.
Photograph by Douglas Rider
A Beery Act: Kevin Lytle, manager of Stoddard's Brewhouse and Eatery, pours a beer for one of his guests. The business opened Feb. 9 and has been filled to capacity during its first week of operation.
Stoddard said the bank that used to be in the restaurant's location was demolished in July of 2000. The restaurant's foundation was laid in September of 2000.
The total cost of the project was approximately $8 million, with the restaurant paying about $2.5 million and the landlord paying the rest, he said.
The banquet facility will be completed in 60 days.
Stoddard started his career as a salesperson for Miller Beer, and in the early 1980s he became involved in microbreweries. He went to work for the Palo Alto Brewing Company, where he developed recipes for beer, including the original recipe for Pete's Wicked Ale. When he became interested in the brew pub concept, he helped open the Tide House in Mountain View and the San Jose Tide House, and then his own restaurant in Sunnyvale.
Even though Wally is a beer drinker, he said he was not "in the mood" to try the beer. Amelia, on the other hand, said she is "a weak German" and prefers wine to beer. They couple said they attended the Campbell Summer Concert Series, where Stoddard's beer was sold, but they did not try it then. But the bar was packed with customers on opening day, who had full glasses of the microbrewed beer.
Among the other restaurants in downtown Campbell the Sommers dine at frequently are Alley's, King's Head and Stack's. Eating at a new place "will be fun," Amelia said.
Diane Loughran came opening day to find out information about the banquet facilities. "I have been excited for it to open," says Loughran, a Campbell resident. "I have been using other Campbell banquet facilities before this opened, so I have been waiting because I heard they can seat 250 upstairs."
Campbell Chamber of Commerce Executive Director BettyDeal said the business will be a great addition to the city.
Campbell, California
