The Sunnyvale Sun

News

Struggle to survive dull downtown

By JASON GOLDMAN-HALL

When the Firehouse Grill and Brewery opened on S. Murphy Avenue less than a year ago, the owners and managers planned to move away from the legacy left by former tenant Stoddard's Brewhouse.

But after a rough start, a new crew has been brought in, and while it still wants to make its own name for itself, the restaurant is now firmly anchored in the memories of the old brewhouse.

New manager Marcus Belardes and head chef Steve Sandigo met more than a decade ago as food runners at Stoddard's Brewhouse, and they've brought back the last Stoddard's brewmaster to make the restaurant's beer selection.

"It was really weird at first. They've made a lot of changes here, but it's still pretty much the same place," Sandigo said. "It's cool that we've all come back together here."

Gone is the order and pick-up style Firehouse adopted when it opened, and there is now a massive bank of televisions in the bar area so customers can watch whatever sporting event they want.

Belardes says he wants to make the restaurant a middle ground between casual and formal meals, where patrons will feel as comfortable in a business suit as they will in jeans.

That type of clientele is what Belarde remembers from his days as a food runner and manager at Stoddard's, and something he hopes to see return to the area.

"I remember this street in the '90s; it was booming, and I think this place could be a part in bringing that back," Belarde said.

But for a restaurant still working, cooking and brewing hard to make its own identity, the downtown can be a challenging location.

"We're rebuilding faith. At the beginning we had a lot of bumps, but a lot of new restaurants do," Belardes said.

He acknowledged the lack of a redeveloped Town Center Mall to the south is a problem, because it makes the entire downtown area less appealing for visitors.

"It's a blight, a dark spot," Belarde said. "There's no hustle and bustle."

Because the future of the mall is still in question, Belardes--who has opened a number of restaurants, including several Pasta Pomodoro locations in the Bay Area--said he is not focusing on anything but his own business.

"We have to build out business within our own four walls, we can't rely on anyone else," he said.