SAN MARCOS — Construction of a highly anticipated brewery-centric entertainment center in San Marcos kicks off next week.
Officials on March 14 will celebrate the ground breaking on My Yard Live, a 17,500-square-foot restaurant, brewery and activities center at the city-owned site of the old Hometown Buffet on Rancheros Drive.
The ambitious complex, which has been in the works for two years, could be completed by this summer.
“My Yard Live is an experiential community gathering space bringing together quality food and libations, a brewery, live entertainment, leisure games, activities, and unique experiences for the enjoyment of people of all ages, whether a child or a child at heart,” co-founder Jamie Minotti said in a previous interview.
About 10,600 square feet of the space will be indoors, while the remaining 6,907 square feet will be split between two outdoor patios.
One patio will be dedicated to customers with children and include playground elements, climbing structures and picnic tables. The second patio will be geared toward adults with stand-up shuffleboard, bocce ball, fire pits, and an area that can be converted to provide additional games or live entertainment performances.
The indoor space will arcade games, air hockey, ping-pong and other entertainment. An island-style bar seating up to 36 people will run from the interior to the adult patio. Total seating for diners will be 220 (excluding lounge-area seating).
Minotti said the concept was in part inspired by his earlier years working with a housing developer in San Marcos in the late 1990s.
“We built four projects in San Marcos and actually the concept of the ‘community resource centers’ we were developing with the families of those communities at the time very much played a significant role in the development of the My Yard Live concept,” Minotti said. “Our vision is to be more a community event and activities center rather than a traditional restaurant and or brewpub.”
Minotti is joined by Mark McLarry to comprise the ownership team. The My Yard Live team also includes George McKerrow and Freddy Bensch. McKerrow, according to a news release, has 40 years of hospitality experience that includes co-founding Ted’s Montana Grill with media icon Ted Turner. Ted’s Montana Grill now has 46 restaurants in 16 states.
Bensch is the co-founder of Atlanta, Georgia’s SweetWater Brewing, a 21-year-old East-Coast institution that is currently the 15th largest craft brewery in the country.
Mayor Rebecca Jones and the City Council will be on hand for the ground breaking, which begins at 10:30 a.m. on March 14.
Jones mentioned My Yard Live in her recent State of the City address as one of the key projects that is transforming San Marcos from a bedroom community to a destination one.
