Today we’d like to introduce you to Chef Brendan Hicks.
Hi Chef Brendan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
GameCraft Brewing grew out of my desire to build community in an area that had few places for 21-39yo adults to go. South OC is dominated by restaurant chains and fancier places that cater to boomers (like me). I wanted to build a place my own children (late 20’s) would love. After a few false starts on locations and themes, someone told me to be more authentic. After pondering for a few weeks, I had the insight that I was a gamer long before videogames and consoles went mainstream. Once I had that hook, I realized that my own children were gamers and that 65% of their generation was too! Further, we have several large game companies nearby with Blizzard, Obsidian, Turtle Rock Studios and more.
It made sense! My kids worked at nerdy game places when they were teens, played D&D as young adults, Jenga or Cards vs. Humanity or Rock Band with friends. They and their cohort grew up here playing games and that didn’t change when they got older. Once we had our location and built the core team–including co-founder and Head Brewer Andrew Moy (a gamer)–we focused on the *experience* we wanted.
So beer+games+food became the equation to build community. We built a facility that was a production brewery with a scratch kitchen. We designed it to encourage social interaction – community tables, no TVs, no “pushing table turns” and a space that made conversation easier. We moved games from a sideshow to the center of the experience by placing games on tables and having alternatives all through the space, curated by our Gamekeepers.
We opened with all of these elements in Q3 2018, had a good run through, well, the onset of COVID.
That forced a major reset, like many others. As a place that existed to build in-person community, we had to reprogram to make games more portable (GameCraft Go!) while selling beer/food to go alongside. That kept us open until the crowds could safely return.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Besides COVID itself, we had worked to an offer for a second location and a doubling of space for our first location. While the second location didn’t work out (whew! given the timing) the expansion lease was signed in January 2020. i.e., two months before the world changed. It was very expensive lesson, even though we decided to keep it for what we felt was the inevitable rebound. Fortunately, that has occurred–with fits and starts due to the Delta and Omicron variants.
The pandemic itself made for a bumpy–and twisty–road. Pivoting became a crucial skill as we went through 11 stages of new adaptations. With our own kitchen, a new canning line and a loyal community, we made it through. Battered but still standing proud.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We have four major components to our business:
1) a production brewery featuring craft lagers and West Coast IPAs, along with the usual assortment of hazy, seltzer and stout offerings; lead by Head Brewer and co-founder Andrew Moy
2) a scratch kitchen with Asian and Latin fusions of traditional pub fare; our food program was launched by co-founder Kanda Chokkijkarn, now led by Head Chef Brendan Hicks
3) the newly expanded tasting room, which operates as a public house featuring our beers and food; we also cater to the broader/food/beverage/experience needs of locals, gamers and beer nerds
4) distribution to all of Orange County and selected portions of surrounding counties
Our uniqueness is largely driven by our deep focus on:
1) lagers: many breweries have added lagers, our brewery was made to make lagers as is obvious from our large lagering tanks and other less-obvious unique design elements
2) games: many breweries have games available, our tasting room is designed around games. From huge trivia competitions to the dozens of games on tables to game training events, we are constantly adding new game experiences.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
A focus on guest experience by constant improvement. Every element of our operations is receiving R&D attention. We listen to feedback and we incorporate ideas from guests and staff to keep things fresh.
Contact Info:
- Email: infobot@gamecraftbrewing.com
- Website: https://www.gamecraftbrewing.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gamecraftbrewing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gamecraftbrewing
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/gamecraftbrew
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gamecraft-brewing-laguna-hills-2
- Other: https://www.gamecraftbrewing.com/reservations
