Bay Area brewery to replace historic on-campus Cal bar

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With the impending closure of the University of California Berkeley's only on-campus bar, the Bear's Lair, in June, there were hopes in the Cal community that a small but significant student-run grocery store could replace the beleaguered site on Bancroft Way. Instead, Cal plans to open a sixth straight bar in the space -- this time, though, from an already successful operator: Headlands Brewing.

At an April meeting of the Associated Students of the University of California Berkeley's board of directors to decide who would fill the soon-to-be-vacant space, numerous students, high-ranking staff and even a local councilmember gave their public support for the Berkeley Student Food Collective, or BSFC, a nonprofit market founded by students in 2010 that offers fresh produce at affordable prices in an area that doesn't have many other grocery options. But the deciding vote came in a closed-door session that ultimately named Headlands Brewery the next operator of the former Bear's Lair space at 2465 Bancroft Way, No. 140. The fast-growing brewery expects to be open by August, when students will return for the new school year, according to Headlands CEO Austin Sharp.

During the meeting, the board of directors went over pages of public comment in support of the BSFC, all imploring the board to choose the proposal submitted by BSFC, which has become an essential store to the community.

"The food collective has been a stronghold of Cal's vibrant culture for 15 years and has been providing healthy and affordable food to students and community members alike," wrote Kyle Ching, a 2018 Cal graduate and former board member of the BSFC. "We've made do with the tiny storefront and even tinier kitchen, and with the Bear's Lair's full kitchen and new space, the BSFC could continue to thrive and serve the community in a way that none of the other upscale restaurants could."

Overwhelmingly, the tenor of the student body was summarized by undergraduate student Vivian Cormany.

"In my four years at Berkeley, I've never stepped foot in the Bears Lair- but spent more than enough time at the food collective," Cormany wrote. "Listen to students, and put the BSFC in the Bears Lair."

Over the past nine years, the ASUC board of directors has handed the keys over to five different catering companies who've taken turns running the historic bar -- which hosted the likes of Jerry Garcia, Robin Williams and Green Day through the years at its former Lower Sproul location -- into the ground.

Despite the overwhelming community support for BSFC, Graduate Assembly President McKalee Steen put forth a motion to move forward with Headlands' proposal for the space, which earned an objection from ASUC President Shrinidhi Gopal. That objection led to a vote that saw eight of 11 members of the board side with Headlands. There was one abstention, and the two votes objecting were from Gopal and ASUC Vice President Robert Carrillo, who are both no longer on the board.

While Gopal and Carillo were unavailable for comment, current ASUC Executive Vice President Isha Chander, who was not present at the voting session, told SFGATE that she respected the process of her predecessors and in her role for the upcoming year, she hopes to prioritize the needs of the student body.

"I'm committed to creating a Student Union space that is vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming, where students are able to have fun and unwind," she wrote in an email. "I also firmly believe that access to affordable services and healthy food options that meet students' needs should be a high priority to the campus. In the coming year, I look forward to working collaboratively with our partners and community leaders to support the success of local businesses, identify opportunities for student-led initiatives to thrive on our campus, and ensure that our students are getting the support they need."

Berkeley District 7 Supervisor Cecilia Lunaparra, who is the first undergrad student from Cal ever elected to the city's council while still a student, was disappointed with the board's decision. Her district has no grocery stores, and about 40% of UC Berkeley students will face food insecurity at some point in their time on campus, she said.

"The Berkeley Student Food Collective's proposal would have allowed them to expand into a much larger space on campus, making affordable, healthy food more accessible to thousands of people who needed it. Instead, the board chose to pursue yet another bar after five failed attempts," Lunaparra said in a statement to SFGATE. "Insanity is often defined as 'doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,' so while I wish Headlands Brewery all the best in their efforts to revitalize the former Bear's Lair space, I wish the board had made a different choice, one that would have prioritized student and community food access over a business model that has historically not worked for this location."

The BSFC also shared its dismay with SFGATE in an email.

"We wish Headlands Brewery the best, but the Union's decision ignores the wishes of the mayor, our councilmember, both student governments, the Berkeley Food Institute, Michael Pollan, and thousands of supporters who called for a trusted tenant rooted in student entrepreneurship and community need," members of the BSFC board said.

Headlands Brewing will have a couple things going for it when it moves onto the Berkeley campus: Like longtime Berkeley bar operator John Martin (Triple Rock, Jupiter), who oversaw a golden age for the old Bear's Lair, Headlands is a proven operator, having run a taproom in Lafayette since 2021 and opened two beer gardens in Berkeley and Walnut Creek over the past two years. The team also has a fairly deep connection to both Cal and Martin's Bear's Lair. Joel DiGiorgio, the current business development lead for the brewery, is a former All-American rugby player at Cal and met his wife at the once-beloved bar. Along with Sharp, a Berkeley resident since 2005, they hope to turn the new space into a casual hangout that takes a lot of input from the student body.

"We did hear from university staff that one of the reasons they chose us is that our entire pitch, our entire ethos, is about being a part of the community and listening to the people that matter," Sharp said in a phone interview with SFGATE.

To that end, the brewery recently sent out a survey to over 25,000 students, faculty, staff and alumni asking what they want out of the new business. They're going to reach out to the multitude of student clubs on campus, who, to Sharp's knowledge, have never been contacted for input in past Bear's Lair iterations. And, they plan to hire a community engagement manager who will be in charge of connecting with the community, alumni and existing students.

The company is planning to "beautify" the patio section, put in non-tinted windows and create a "relaxed vibe" that's family- and dog-friendly at the location, which will likely called Headlands on Campus. Smash burgers and other pub food are expected to fill out the menu, similar to their beer garden outposts in Lafayette and Walnut Creek. While it won't be a sports bar, there will be TVs for game-watching and the hours will better reflect the on-campus sporting events, allowing students and fans to drink pre- and post-game.

"At certain points, the Bear's Lair was epic. Candidly, it wasn't that as of late," Sharp said. "We want to bring back some excitement to the area because everyone on campus deserves that."