“Working In The City” is The San Diego Sun’s feature Q&A series with downtown San Diego business operators. It’s a way to get to know the city by meeting the people who work here. This is the second in an ongoing series.
Company Name: The Whiskey House.
Address: 420 Third Avenue, conveniently situated between the Gaslamp Quarter and Marina District.
Owner/Manager: General Manager Austin Swint
What we do: Upscale bar and restaurant specializing in an obscene number of labels of whiskey (We’re the Guinness world record holder with about 4,600 labels). We offer great food, drinks and service and have the best Happy Hour in the area. With all our whiskey, we have an amazing craft cocktail menu and some of the best whiskey-based drinks in all of San Diego.
Company motto: A Drinking Institution.
If your business was made into a movie, it would be called: There Will Be Whiskey. We would need to coax Daniel Day Lewis out of retirement to star in it.
The commute: I’ve lived in Mission Valley most of the 25 years I’ve been in San Diego. My commute downtown is seven miles–about 15 minutes.
Start-up story: In business for nine years. TWH was founded and still owned by Alex Minaev and Ryan King. They had been downtown bartenders. When the former Candelas building became available they acquired it and turned it into The Whiskey House. It was a humble beginning, with just the two of them as the only employees, bartending through the week. As the business grew, staffing levels increased (now at 24 employees). Alex and Ryan are very active owners that help with operations and are amazing to work with.
Staffing up for downtown: Not hard at all!
Best aspects of working downtown: In addition to being a great tourist and convention destination, it’s also an amazing community with lots of local resident regulars.
Worst aspects of working downtown: Parking and the homeless situation.
Parking: It can be an issue, but not always. The Park It On Market structure is a good option. There’s a huge lot one block west of us that’s typically $10 for the day. The trolley is also a great way to get downtown.
Homelessness: We are in an area of downtown that has a smaller concentration of homelessness. It was considerably worse when I worked in the Gaslamp. I still find people sleeping on our property 2-3 times a week, leftover trash and drug paraphernalia on our patio, and sometimes poop or urine stains that need cleaning. I will say that the Clean & Safe program downtown does an amazing job and they are a great resource for downtown businesses with issues.
Scariest downtown work memory: I was asking a homeless guy to leave the property (he was sleeping on one of our parklet benches). When I finally got him up and coherent he got all mad at me (which is not unusual). He pulled out a chef’s knife and started waving it at me. That was a little scary.
Funniest downtown work memory: I used to be the Beverage Manager at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Doug Manchester was the owner and I’d met him on several occasions. He was always friendly and wanted you to call him “Papa Doug.” One night, I was making my rounds of all of the bars I operated. I got off the elevator from the Top of the Hyatt. The door opened. Our owner quickly flashed a smile, shook my hand and enthusiastically introduced himself as “Doug Manchester, but you can call me Papa Doug.” Once I made my hotel rounds, I decided to go back to check on the Top of the Hyatt. When the elevator door opened, eight minutes later, there he was, again. Without hesitation he said, “I’m Doug Manchester, but you can call me Papa Doug.” It was like a scene from Groundhog Day.
Big-event boosts: Events, conventions and concerts are a great boost for us. But I wouldn’t say we rely on them. We have a great local following.
On a scale of 1 (easiest) to 10 (hardest), how is working with the city: Based on my experience, 4. The city administration has a lot of red tape and they are often understaffed. Occasionally, you can get a hold of someone who really wants to help you.
How can the city be more business friendly: My biggest complaint is support from the police. We don’t have a lot of issues. But when something escalates there’s zero chance of getting help without calling 911. We don’t want use the 911 line just because some jerk has had too much to drink and refuses to leave. Usually, we haven’t even served the person. They come in drunk, we refuse service and they get upset. Police non-emergency is an hour wait on the phone, then two hours to wait for a patrol to show up. By then, the incident is well over.
Favorite downtown business that isn’t yours: The Shout House. It’s a dueling-pianos bar on Fourth Avenue. Always a great time, great owner and some of the most talented dueling piano players in the country.
Best insider tip for a downtown business: There’s lots of competition downtown but supporting each other and being neighborly is important. Also, if you can offer consistent, excellent service and push your programming to evolve it will help you see year-over-year growth. SDSun
