Today, we’d like to introduce you to Cristian Liang.
Hi Cristian, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico. My parents owned and operated a Chinese restaurant in Tijuana for over 30 years, and I went to school in Tijuana until the age of 14. Entrepreneurship is the main reason for starting my own business, and I guess since the restaurant is in my blood, I felt comfortable getting into the hospitality industry as my first business venture.
My business partner and I began meeting regularly in 2013 to brainstorm concepts, and by 2014, we opened our first Common Theory Public House in the Convoy District of Kearny Mesa in San Diego. After five years in business, we developed our second concept called Realm of the 52 Remedies, a speakeasy bar inside CT. Simultaneously, we added a 3rd partner for a third concept revolving around authentic Korean cuisine, and we built Woomiok restaurant that same year.
Fast forward to 2024, we have not opened a second location of Common Theory (CT2), which is located in the city of Chula Vista. Meanwhile, the original Common Theory celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year in June. We’ve also been keeping busy with the build-out of our newest and latest Korean BBQ All-You-Can-Eat concept named SURA BBQ. SURA is anticipated to open by late June or early July this year.
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?
The road to success is not always smooth, and we’ve had our fair share of setbacks throughout the years. Some of those are:
COVID – This was a testament to everyone in our industry. We are lucky to have survived it and have come out the other side and grown stronger. I recall having to stay nimble and flexible with our operations, we had to be able to change our offerings and service at a moment’s notice. Every time a new regulation was presented, we did our best to continue operating to gain back some kind of sales. It literally felt like we were tested with new hurdles every other week for those 2-3 years. With the help of PPP, great landlord assistance, great staff retention, and the unwavering support of our regular patrons, we were able to get past that dark period in our operating history.
THE RIGHT PEOPLE – this is a struggle but also a success story for us. Having the right people and creating a great team environment is crucial to any business. We’ve had our fair share of bad apples in the company, ones that lost the business money and ones that caused a lot of headaches. But through the years, we have been able to plug those few out of our teams and have been lucky to have found great members who have been with us for many, many years. A few have even been with us since the very start of our hospitality journey, and many members have grown to better positions within the group. This challenge is an ongoing process, making the team better is never ending. Because once you stop caring and improving, that’s when your services and offerings suffer, and your brand is forgotten.
As you know, we’re big fans of Common Theory Public House. What can you tell our readers who might not be as familiar with the brand?
The concept behind Common Theory Public House was inspired by our group of friends who were always in search of quality craft beers, great food, and an overall good time. We always found ourselves hanging out and sharing beers at each other’s houses or brewery hopping on the weekends.
We would get excited going to our local liquor stores to see what new IPAs they had each week, and we always enjoyed exploring new beers! So we sectioned off these three components: (1) being lovers of craft beer ourselves, we wanted to design a beer program that offered a rotating selection of high-quality craft beers. We set out to procure simply the greatest tasting beers around, from here in San Diego and all over the country and abroad.
And it’s not a surprise that many of these amazing beers are brewed right here in our hometown! Our beer philosophy is that there should always be something available for everyone, and if a specific style of beer isn’t available, we will make sure to find our guests a beer that suits their palate. We let our customers know that we apply the literal meaning of “rotating selection”; our 30-tap draft beer system rotates beer brands and styles constantly.
We love to explore new brews! Being in the Craft Beer Capital of the world, we strive to keep the draft beer system clean by performing regular maintenance and cleaning to pour our customers a clean, crisp, and tasteful glass of beer. Just the way the brewers designed it! (2) The goal for our food was to create an eclectic menu that complimented the varieties of beers on tap and vice versa. The food coming from our kitchen revolves around the theory of simplicity, offering American pub fare with an upscale twist.
The chef and our kitchen staff take pride in cooking food that focuses on enhancing natural ingredients using contemporary cooking sensibilities while maintaining authenticity to each dish’s cultural background. In our menu, you see hints of our cultural backgrounds: American, Chinese, Korean, and Mexican. This culture clash concept makes it perfect to call ourselves Californians!
And (3) we wanted to create a space that felt homie and welcoming, a space that would appeal to the local neighborhood and the casual connoisseur from other parts of San Diego. Our goal is to provide customers with a relaxing and fun atmosphere to enjoy simple-straightforward food at reasonable pricing, paired with a variety of craft beers and cocktails to come.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Being around my parent’s business and being able to help them and learn from them.
It taught me great responsibility at a very young age. My dad was always a very hands-on person, he taught me a lot of handy things growing up. I hope to be just as much of an influence on my kids as my dad was to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://commontheorysd.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/commontheory/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commontheorySD/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/common-theory-san-diego-3
Image Credits
James Tran
