VISTA — Kyle Adams says his family’s decision to sell the popular Prohibition Brewing Co. after a 15-year run is rooted in joy.
Adams sat down with The Coast News during a brief lull in business Thursday afternoon to discuss the family’s decision to put the brewpub in north Vista on the market.
“My parents want to retire,” he explained, adding that the equity built up in the property — which the family purchased in 2010 — will allow them to do so.
The building at 2004 E. Vista Way dates to the 1960s. When Adams and his parents, Ron and Kathy, bought it 16 years ago, it was a Latino nightclub known as D’Elegantes. Adams said the building was in poor condition, and the family invested considerable time and money in renovating it.
Business remains strong, Adams said, adding that the location should make the property attractive to potential buyers.
“It’s on a major road, so there is good access. We have 87 parking spaces, more than most places. And there is no real competition: We have houses all around us, and more are being built.”
Adams said the approximately $2.7 million asking price covers the business name, building and real estate. The family is also entertaining offers for the brewing equipment, dining room furniture and vintage-themed decor, including lithographs depicting various locations in Vista.
“It’s all negotiable,” he said.
Buyers interested in continuing to operate the building as a restaurant and/or brewpub can also negotiate for the family’s food and beer recipes.
Those beer and ale recipes led to the founding of Prohibition, Adams said.
“My parents were in construction. Then 2008 hit, and that dried up” during the recession. “We were homebrewing, and people really liked it so much they demanded we sell it.”
The original food menu was fairly limited, Adams said, but the family hired a chef who brought in entrees of his own and created new recipes.
“Different chefs have added different things over the years.”
Among the restaurant’s more striking features, in addition to the lithographs, are vintage ceiling lights and a hand-carved reproduction of a Mafia-style rack of Tommy guns in one of the dining rooms.
Adams said his grandfather, Ted Adams, made all of them, along with several lamps carved in the shape of the distinctive Thompson .45-caliber submachine gun made famous through its many appearances in mob movies set during Prohibition.
In addition to the kitchen and brewery, the roughly 7,000-square-foot building includes two indoor dining areas, one with a traditional bar, and an outdoor patio. Roughly 5,000 square feet is devoted to dining, and the restaurant has a capacity of roughly 160 people, Adams said.
SRS Real Estate Partners is handling the sale.
A final day of business has not been set, but late September is the most likely timeframe, Adams said. The roughly 30 employees are being encouraged to look for new jobs and are free to leave as they find them. Adams said the restaurant will likely close when staffing becomes too limited to continue operating.
While his parents are ready to enter retirement, Adams said with a laugh that only one thing is certain on his agenda before he decides what comes next in his career:
“A vacation,” Adams said.
