Sudwerk’s restaurant getting closer to opening

The owners of Sudwerk Brewing Co. hope to open their restaurant as soon as late March.

It still needs to pass county health and city building inspections, but “they understand our timeline and are doing what they can to get us there,” said Trent Yackzan, who owns the brewery and restaurant with Ryan Fry. The inside space will open first. Heavy rains delayed the patio’s completion to April or May.

Construction began in August, remodeling everything but the brewery: the dining areas and bar, kitchen, bathrooms, back beer hall and patio. It was a major project on a building that hadn’t been renovated since it was built it 1989.

“We’ve been planning this for years — since pre-COVID,” Fry said.

The eatery — under separate ownership at the time — closed in 2016. After leasing the restaurant side since 2019, the brewery’s investors purchased the other half of the property in 2021.

The brewery’s taproom, The Dock, opened in 2012. It used food trucks after the original restaurant closure, and again when this remodeling began. When the revamped eatery reopens, The Dock will close, except for special events like the Davis Cherry Blossom Festival and the Davis Music Fest.

And don’t expect lots of schnitzel, sausages or other German foods that were staples in the old brewpub, which had its heyday in the 1990s. (The brewery specializes in lagers, especially German ones). The new menu will focus on West Coast and California cuisine, sourced

Lee will report on Generators for Uman

Special to The Enterprise

The Davis Progressive Business Exchange will meet on Wednesday, March 1, noon to 1 p.m. at Lamppost Pizza, 1260 Lake Blvd. in West Davis. The guest speaker is former Davis Mayor Brett Lee, on behalf of Generators for Uman, the Davis Sister City in Ukraine.

He will give the latest about the electrical generator that has arrived and been installed at the Uman community center and a larger industrial generator that is on order from Germany. He will be followed by the officers of the newly reconstituted UmanDavis Sister City organization. The newly elected officers presenting at this PBE meeting will be President Tom Adams and Secretary/ Treasurer Nancy Carr.

For information, contact Bob Bockwinkel at 530-219-1896 or e-mail G. Richard Yamagata at yamagata@dcn.org.

locally when possible.

“We totally respect that it was part of our history,” Yackzan said of the German food, “but it’s time to give it a refresh.” They plan to offer weekly specials with occasional nods to those traditions.

The dark oak paneling and floors are also gone, or in the case of the beer hall, painted a light gray. The carpet and wood flooring were removed, revealing concrete, which is now polished.

The bar is lined with wood-like gray tiles and topped with charcoal granite. Though the palette is neutral, Fry said the patrons will bring color back to the space.

The bar features 24 taps on each wall. They mirror each other, and will share the same kegs, which will include some guest taps of beers, ciders and nitro coffee. The centerpiece of the dining space remains the two copper brewing kettles, used for small, experimental batches. Most of those beers will be on tap exclusively at the pub. It has a full liquor license, so watch for some craft cocktails too.

When the patio is finished, it will include fire pits, multiple seating arrangements, a stage and game area. The windows next to the bar will lift open for serving, with bar seating along part of the outside. There are nine televisions inside, and a projection screen in the beer hall (which serves as overflow or rental space). The patio will have TVs as well.

The menu will include burgers, smoked meats, sandwiches, soups and salads. Their three new high-tech iCombi Pro ovens can steam, bake, convection bake and air-fry, and are programmable to ensure consistency. There’s also an espresso machine and special ice cream freezer.

“We’ll have something for everyone,” Fry said, noting that it will remain family-friendly.

There will be table service, but patrons can also order from a QR code or at the bar. The head chef and managers have been hired; they’re working to fill the remaining support positions.

Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, it will open at 11 a.m. on other days. Closure will be at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays,

10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 8 p.m. on Sundays. Eventually, they plan to open earlier on Sundays for brunch.

Note: Sudwerk occasionally hires me to write news releases. However, it does not have influence on my column.

Target is remodeling 200 of its locations, and Davis is apparently among them. The store is at 4601 Second St.

Readers keep asking me about the storage containers filling the south end of its Davis parking lot, and near the Woodland store too. I sent an email to the company on Tuesday, and even though it states that it “strive(s) to return all of our media inquiries within one business day,” I didn’t hear back by late Thursday (which I explained was my deadline).

An article on the Target website says the company is launching a new “store strategy and design,” across the country “to create an experience that is not just uniquely Target, but one that leaves you feeling welcomed and inspired.” Reads like PR speak to me.

Most of its new stores are getting bigger – an average of 150,000 square feet. (Davis’ is 137,000 square feet.) While this new “experience” is incorporated into the new, larger stores, it will shape the redesign of existing ones too. It’s just not clear how.

Exhibit B: “Guests are turning to us for more things now than they ever did before — more joy, more inspiration, more fulfillment options – and this new store design enables us to even more easily and efficiently deliver for our guests all those things and more, now and into the future.”

Make of it what you will.

Davis has a new business network geared toward women in Davis. It’s called Davis Area Women’s Network. Founder Elissa Kennedy is a life coach who specializes in somatic and mental fitness coaching, and Reiki healing.

“Whether you have an idea for a start-up, manage a company, own your own business or are self-employed, this community is for you,” the DAWN website says. “Running a business can be lonely, but it doesn't have to be. This community is for women that would love to create connections with other women in business and support each other’s growth!”

The group launched in December as Sisterhood Community Network, and recently changed its name, based on group input.

Participation in the group is free in 2023, as it builds its foundation. Visit https://www. subscribepage.com/davisareawomensnetwork

Before messaging me about the status of an ongoing project, check my paywall-free Google spreadsheet, which includes more than 325 Davis businesses coming or going. It’s at https:// bit.ly/DavisBusinesses. Look for the tabs for Restaurants Open, Restaurants Closed, Coming Soon and more.

— Wendy Weitzel is a Davis writer and editor. Her column runs on Sundays. Check for frequent updates on her Comings & Goings Facebook and Instagram pages. If you know of a business coming or going in the area, email news tips to wendyedit@ gmail.com.