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Home + Garden Design JANUARY 5, 2018 VOLUME 25, NO. 50
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Bierhaus owner sees trouble brewing HIGH RENTS, REDEVELOPMENT PLANS COULD SINK POPULAR PUB not optimistic about his future prospects. In less than a year, n a weekday night on Bierhaus could be the latest small Castro Street, it’s hard to business in Mountain View to find a more popular spot shut its doors for good, Finley than Bierhaus. After 4:30 p.m. or said. The Bierhaus lease expires in so, the downtown beer garden’s patio is packed with patrons, and late 2018. In anticipation, the you can hear the sounds of clink- property owner has recently filed ing mugs and chatter echoing plans with the city to rebuild the corner site into a four-story down the block. It’s surprising, given that Bier- office building. The plans call haus’ corner location at 383 for a dense development built Castro St. for years had the out to the edge of the sidewalk, reputation of being the spot with three stories of offices and a where restaurants go to die. ground-floor restaurant space. Sitting with his dog at one of Once a Wienerschnitzel fast-food stand, the series of eateries that pub’s patio tables, Finley said the redevelopment followed closed in would basically quick succession, Bierhaus, including a sports ‘This is what torpedo ruining the spabar, a seafood diner, a California-fusion a successful cious beer garden that his patrons cafe and a Turkish diner. economy looks love. For that matter, he expects his Despite having minimal restaurant like: lease prices landlord to demand a much higher rent experience, Biergo up.’ — likely double haus owner Mike what he currently Finley took over the MAYOR KEN ROSENBERG pays — to underlocation’s lease in write the costs of 2011 and managed to turn it around. It wasn’t easy: rebuilding the property. Bierhaus His original idea for a fast-casual has an approximately 4-percent burger restaurant struggled to profit margin after all expenses find its footing. After two years, are accounted for, Finley said. If Finley retooled his business at he had to sacrifice more to earn considerable expense with a new less, it might not be worth it, he focus on the beer garden. Bier- said. “Am I going to make another haus was born, and it clicked. Anyone passing by, or waiting 10-year investment here? At this in the long line for a pint, might point, I really don’t know.” he safely assume that business is said. “I would love to stay here, but I don’t want to be the one going gangbusters. Yes, sales are indeed good, who shoulders all the risk.” Finley said with a bit of pride. See BIERHAUS, page 6 Nevertheless, the pub owner is By Mark Noack
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ANA SOFIA AMIEVA-WANG
A LOOK BACK AT 2017 There’s no need to squint — 2017 is behind us, but there’s still time for a visual stroll down memory lane. In a divisive year marked by protests, the solar eclipse in August brought people together, sharing scarce eclipse-viewing glasses and trading tips for homemade viewers. At Moffett Field, Air Force service members (from left) Tam Tran, Dandrell Thomas and Karanda Johnson watch the moon slip in front of the sun. For more of the year’s most striking images, our retrospective starts on page 10.
MV Whisman launches online enrollment GROWING NUMBER OF FAMILIES ON WAITING LISTS WILL GET LIVE UPDATES By Kevin Forestieri
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he Mountain View Whisman School District is aiming to make it easier for parents to enroll their children for the upcoming school year, with a new online system that aims to make it easier to track students stuck on lengthy waiting lists. The new system should prove useful for the hundreds of families requesting transfers each year, as parents vie for spots in the
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most popular district schools. Friday, Jan. 5, kicks off the enrollment period for the 201819 school year, which will be the test drive for the district’s new registration system called SchoolMint. District officials say the new system should make it a whole lot easier for parents to register for their neighborhood school and — if they so choose — hop onto the waiting list for schools elsewhere in the city. SchoolMint is expected to ease the challenges of proving
residency each year, and will have quick updates showing parents whether they’re any closer to getting their children into a choice school. When the open enrollment period closed last year and families were assigned to school, a total of 90 families living near Bubb, Huff and Landels were given the tough news that their children could not attend their neighborhood school because of See OPEN ENROLLMENT, page 7
Where there’s smoke… WEEKEND | 18
GOINGS ON 19 | MARKETPLACE 20 | REAL ESTATE 22