Two months -- that's approximately 60 days and about 86,400 minutes -- a good amount of time to do just about anything, right? Maybe grow a beard? Learn to crochet? Open a restaurant and bar? While the latter seems a bit farfetched, when the right team is formed, sometimes, the impossible is turned into promising. And that's exactly what happened over this summer with a familiar brand of Alternative Strategies'. In 2009, The Verant Group partnered with David Cohen to develop West Coast Tavern, one of North Park's most invigorating restaurants and bars. In May 2012, this magical team decided to once again take on a new concept in a new neighborhood; this time turning it UP a notch.
Under the direction of Verant, Cohen, and Robert Jones, Uptown Tavern began the first phases of construction at the end of May on University Avenue in the heart of Hillcrest. Wasting no time, this team turned to the creative eye of Michael Soriano to develop the look and feel of Uptown's atmosphere. Taking components of the 20th century industrial age, Soriano melded old-world decor with a modern sleekness that cleverly complements what was soon to follow on the plate.
As Uptown Tavern's sister restaurant, West Coast Tavern has already established a tremendous following with its food menu, so it was no surprise that Verant and Cohen stayed within the family to develop Uptown Tavern's flavor. By June, Executive Chef Eli Freebairn moved west of West Coast and into Hillcrest to masterfully develop Uptown's menu. Like Soriano, Freebairn found inspiration in the collision of classic and contemporary, and found the perfect balance with his passion for comfort food and admiration for elegance. In the end, Uptown Tavern had created refined renditions of chicken and waffles, bread pudding, short rib sliders, and healthier options, like charred brussel sprouts, and quinoa dressed up to the nines.
In true Verant ideology, a meal is only as great as the beverage it's paired with, so an emphasis on the bar was important to Uptown Tavern. With craft cocktails, beers, and wines carefully selected for the enjoyment of the Hillcrest community, the bar at Uptown offers both traditional and innovative selections.
While big things were happening in Hillcrest at Uptown's location, in Mission Valley, Alternative Strategies worked just as feverishly on design, marketing, and public relations for this new brand. With the start of the logo, Verant and Cohen worked closely with Alternative Strategies to fully capture the potential this establishment possessed. Over the course of two months, Alternative Strategies designed a fully functioning website, developed social media presence over various platforms, created marketing strategies to increase awareness throughout San Diego, and most significantly, established over two dozen secured media on print, online and TV outlets.
By July 2012, just a few months after the opening of Verant's eighth location in Downtown San Diego, Uptown Tavern opened its doors just in time for San Diego Pride --appropriately named, as the sentiment of pride was also felt by Alternative Strategies as they celebrated their accomplishment. With a strong working relationship, and an even stronger friendship, Alternative Strategies raises a toast to the development of this genuine addition to the Hillcrest community.
Uptown Tavern: created in two months, approximately 60 days, or just about 86,400 minutes. Some say it was luck, but just about everybody realizes that success like this takes a well-balanced team, and talent, of course!