Yard House may not have invented craft beer, but it certainly helped fuel the craze when it opened its flagship restaurant on December 7, 1996, in Long Beach, California, with an astounding 250 taps. Next month on Thursday, July 11 t restaurant will open its first Ventura County location at The Collection Riverpark in Oxnard, a coastal community just north of Los Angeles County.
With just 30 days left before Yard House opens its doors, the company has just about completed the hiring of 200 new employees who will begin intensive training in the next couple weeks. Shortly the ovens in the exhibition kitchen will be fired up, hundreds of full kegs will arrive on Keg Day, June 28, and will be loaded and stacked atop one another in the glass-enclosed keg room, and 140 taps handles encircling the island bar will begin pouring pints and half yards of ales, stouts and lagers as Yard House welcomes the residents of Oxnard and Ventura County to its 46th location.
“It’s always exciting when we enter a new market,” says Harald Herrmann, president of Yard House Restaurants. “In the last decade Oxnard and Ventura have exploded with growth and redevelopment, yet have retained a very hometown feel. We are very eager to bring our concept to the community and feel The Collection Riverpark offers an exceptional location and tenant mix. ”
Yard House is one of the fastest growing restaurant chains in the nation with a concept that seems to resonate with a cross section of people. A scratch kitchen philosophy is the cornerstone of Yard House, which offers more than 100 items with a focus on contemporary American fare coupled with 100-250 taps of draught beer depending on the location. A continuous playlist of classic and contemporary rock has also become one of the restaurant’s trademark elements. The new location at The Collection Riverpark is the company’s 46th location.
Yard House at The Collection Riverpark will span more than 12,000 square feet with a guest capacity that includes indoor and outdoor seating for more than 300 with ample-size booths plus low and high-top tables and additional seating encircling the island bar. The floor plan is open and airy with a mix of warm woods and cool stainless steel accents with an original collection of striking abstract works of art commissioned by California artist Jerome Gastaldi.
Yard House will present Food Share, a non-profit organization that provides food and support to hungry residents of Ventura County, with a $2,000 check during a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony hosted by the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, July 9 at 4:30pm. The restaurant officially opens Thursday, July 11 at 11am for lunch, dinner, and late-night dining.
