HopMonk

[MadMonk]

Removed by MadMonk

[tdavis]

Wow, quite a rant. Let me get this straight, you're upset because:
1) the door man carded your teenaged daughter?
2) the very new and probably busier than they expected kitchen hasn't worked out the kinks?
3) because they wouldn't let you have a beer in the juke joint while you waited for a table for lunch?

I have to admit that I work in a local restaurant and am shocked at the way the citizens of Sebastopol have flocked to Hopmonk in it's first week. Starlight has been open 2 and a half years and people are still just coming in for the first time. That said, give Hopmonk a break! They just opened. I'm sure they had no idea that so many parade goers intended to have lunch there. They probably didn't have enough staff to open the juke joint as a waiting lounge. Dean will figure out what his restaurant needs in order to do well in Sebastopol. And as for your teenaged daughter being carded, now she and her friends know that they shouldn't even bother trying to sneak into the juke joint for a vodka and red bull.
While Hopmonk settles in you could bring your fam to Starlight, we have beer, we have a varied menu, we don't have a door man.

[love2travel]

My two girlfriends and I went to HopMonk on Friday night. The greeters at the front door were two large men, dressed in formal attire sporting ear pieces. They checked out our eyes as they held the door for us to enter. The vibe was uncomfortable. We only stayed for an hour ordering a beer and sodas. The foodserver was attentive and pleasant.

On Saturday night, two other friends went to listen to the music there. Apparently, there was a half-hour wait to get a wrist band and then another wait to get in the music building. Lots of people were drunk - probably came over after the Apple Blossom. According to my friends, the "bouncers" removed the drunks not by asking/telling them to leave, but by helping them outside by placing a hand on their necks! As one drunk was walking away, he told a bouncer "fu.. u" and very soon there were four bouncers (remember the ear pieces) smashing his face into the ground. Apparently, after seeing the quantity of blood on the ground, it is a definate possibility that this guy's nose is broken.

I think I'm correct in saying that I live in Sebastopol not Los Angeles! What is going on?

[Braggi]

... According to my friends, the "bouncers" removed the drunks not by asking/telling them to leave, but by helping them outside by placing a hand on their necks! As one drunk was walking away, he told a bouncer "fu.. u" and very soon there were four bouncers (remember the ear pieces) smashing his face into the ground. Apparently, after seeing the quantity of blood on the ground, it is a definate possibility that this guy's nose is broken.

I think I'm correct in saying that I live in Sebastopol not Los Angeles! What is going on?

That's very distressing to hear! I hope management is reading this thread. If so, I don't want to hear about any more of this behavior. I won't be returning or bringing friends if this is the kind of activity we can expect to witness.

I had a pleasant time there on opening night. I didn't even see any bouncers. Though the place was full, service was very good. Drunks can be handled with respect and courtesy and without violence. Bouncers shouldn't be hurting anybody.

Again, I won't go back if I hear about more of this.

-Jeff

[etree]

If turning around to say F-U resulted in a beat down for the drunk patron as described someone clearly needs to set the Hopmonk thugs straight. Sounds like a potential lawsuit to me (no I am not a lawyer).

I am curious if there is another version of this incident out there because after reading it I am certainly not going near that place. I will never hesitate to say F-U to someone if that's how I want to express myself. We are lucky to live in a place where we have that right.

Ok, so the guy was wasted. Why the bouncers have to draw blood to physically remove him from the establishment? What happened to compassion and empathy for those who cannot control their alcohol consumption? Substance abuse is a mental and social disease, not a moral issue. Beating someone up for talking smack IS a moral issue.

"Event staff drones will break my bones but words will never hurt me..."

Peace.

[shellebelle]

I'd really like to hear from someone who witnessed this event.

I too am distressed by it.

Anyone know who the manager is over at HopMonk? I'll make a call. I'll be glad to ask questions.

Where do I find the police blotter for Saturday certainly they had to be there at some point?

I am concerned that this may be simply a slam on HopMonk and would like to see some verification. It was so not like this on opening. if this 360 is what has happened since the opening of the music bar then I too will reconsider my delight in the restaurant!

["Mad" Miles]

Dean Biersch is the co-owner of HopMonk Tavern, with his brother Gordon Biersch. Here are his digits from his card, which he readily gave me Saturday before last.

Tel: 829-7300
Website: www.hopmonk.com

I too would like confirmation of the beating incident, and if true, the response from management.

I've eaten there thrice. Pretty good. Good service.

They mostly serve super hoppy blonde beers, not my thang. But they have an impressive list and "Beer Bible" descriptions. I'm sure I'll find several brews I like in time. I've been drinking the Fuller's London Pride each time I went. That has been quite satisfactory.

As for the bouncers, never saw them. But I've only been in during the late afternoon.

Bouncers should not be putting their hands on anyone. At least not until polite, but insistent requests to leave have been ignored and clear warnings of the consequences delivered first. In fact, they should only be calling the cops, waiting for them to arrive, and letting the officers do the removal.

And what, pray tell are they doing with said drunks? Stuffing them in their cars and wishing them a safe drive home?

But so far the story is hearsay. Further confirmation and a management reply seems in order.

I'm very happy that a good music venue has opened in Sebasto. I like what they've done with the room that the Powerhouse owners built. Better club set up.

"Mad" Miles

[Barry]

Dean Biersch is the co-owner of HopMonk Tavern, with his brother Gordon Biersch. Here are his digits from his card, which he readily gave me Saturday before last.

I met Dean before the pub opened and he gave me his card as well. I emailed him yesterday and called him earlier today and left a message about this thread. I think that should be sufficient. I have removed his number from the earlier post. Please don't call his cell if you got the number from WaccoBB.net.

Thanks,
Barry

[PeriodThree]

I went to Hopmonk the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after they opened, and again this last Saturday after the Apple Blossom.

I had my 9 year old Son with me after the Apple Blossom.

I was there other nights late enough for the music to start, and listened to a bit of it.

I did not have any of the negative experiences which other people report. The bouncers all looked reasonable to me, and, frankly, the sorts of people who call bouncers 'Goons' are generally the sorts of people who are why we need bouncers...

I did not eat - when I was there and wanted to they did not yet have their late night menu.

The beers are tasty, the bier garden is totally delightful, and I like the music space.

They are managing a lot of customers, and trying to provide alcohol and music to a notoriously erratic demographic, so the focus on professional security seems appropriate, but with that said (and at least in the earlier part of Saturday evening) it was a fine place to have kids.

Cheers,

[nicofrog]

There is a joint in Santa Rosa
called club "a number"
they always have bouncers,up to seven of them;
I was there , with some friends and there was a huge scuffle on the dance floor with lots of marine style voice usage and dragging the guy out of the club, I was almost in the middle of it all, got a good look at the"bad guy"
and also felt no real threat at hand.I have studied marshal arts and what I was watching was an obvious exercise.
Later in the evening, when most of the so called bouncers were off duty,
I went around the club a back way and found the bouncers talking and laughing with their friend they had obviously paid or whatever to cause the phony scene. This is a jar head,T.V. culture adrenalin game used to make near teens think they are in a real desirable and dangerous environment where they are well protected by professionals.
There are 6 or 7 clubs in Cotati that require none of this idiocy,and I hold that its a stupid game, and I would be sad to think of this new club, with still another awkward name, is bringing this to Sebastopol, we have had fun on that location many times with many young people drinking, and door guys, and I've never seen anyone look or act drunk, and there's simply no reason for big bouncers, unless perhaps the expensive car the owner drives is a Hummer,like our dear governor, and that would explain the jar head mentality. Nico.

[pbrinton]

...the bier garden is totally delightful

Now there's a novel concept; I guess it is for customers who are coffin too much to stay inside.

Patrick

[sebtown]

I am a first time visitor of this site and I love it. I am glad that people are discussing situations about our new business in town and how they are running it. I want to make it known that I have personally spoke with management and security regarding this night. The evening of Apple Blossom night. And they are actively reading this post and are taking it very seriously. I mean very. There is a lot of concern on both ends of it. First and foremost please don't judge the Hopmonk after one time. We all know that Apple Blossom is Sebastopol's drunkest day of the year. Mostly towards he younger crowd 35 and under. But not solely. If you did attend, you could obviously see that there were just too many people and the building can not hold that amount and being a new business they are still working out the kinks.

In my opinion they are doing a great job. Friendly staff, owner on site greeting and meeting people and welcoming our community with open arms. Yes a new business is going to have problems right away, but they are trying really hard to please EVERYONE. I would like to say thank you to Dean for bringing us this beautiful restaurant, music night life and beer garden. Not to mention all of the upgrades from the old Sebastopol Brewing Co. I was involved there and became friends with both set of families running that business and we can all admit that they couldn't please everyone either. What did you really expect from night one to go off without a hitch.

If you were at the brewery last year after apple blossom there were way more problems that night then there was this year I would like to say because of the security staff. You can go back and check the police log and see for yourself. I personally drove someone to the hospital after being beat up in the parking lot last year. Who ever was talking about meat heads as security, do you remember the meats heads that worked at the brewing company. Let's get real here we have an active staff of four persons on duty dressed in nice white collared shirts black pants and coats. No words expressing security or staff we all know who they are. Yeah it is music venue and ear pieces allow them to communicate if there is an issue.

I know that our town is small and word spreads fast about things and I love that. but I also consider them to be rumors unless you experienced it first hand. The person removed from the Hopmonk after apple blossom was removed because first he tried to take a beer without paying for it. Due to drunkenness. After the security was called over to see what was going on and trying to defuse a situation before it became the issue we had. That is when the F bombs started and continued with a lot more profanity. Taking appropriate measures he was moved to the front door with no violence or touching, until he took a swing, threw a punch at the security, at that point he was taken to the ground and detained until the police arrived. It the mist of being detained he face did hit the ground and caused a nose bleed. not broken no big deal.

Once the policed arrived it was f**k you, pig this, pig that. So at that point he was taken in the back of the cruiser and put in the drunk cell. The police agreed that he needed to go downtown. Sometimes in the heat of the moment things happen. Again no matter how they handled this situation there was no way to please everyone. Has anyone here online every been a security staff? If so please add your input, and if not then just put your self in that situation and ask yourself how you would have handled it. Also put yourself in the place of security having over 500 intoxicated people in one place at one time.

The beef cake that was working the door that night with his police cruiser look alike I actually found amusing and could understand why you could of sensed him as a threat. I look at the brighter side of things and pretty much ignored him for the entire evening. However I feel that precautions were taken that night to minimize the problems that we experienced the year before. So my hat goes off to them.

So I ask you please don't make a full judgment of the Hopmonk after one visit or one issue. Again I would like to thank Dean for treating our beautiful town with this beautiful beer haven. We should be honored and supportive of this new business in town. Thanks again and cheers.

[[email protected]]

Hey everyone – I’m more than a little surprised at the impassioned tone of a few of the posts – but then I surprise myself when I hear MYSELF talk about this project, this building, this cool little town - - this has been an amazing experience for me.

LAST YEAR the Saturday morning of Blossom I was looking at a potential site in downtown SR for my HopMonk project. The building was a dog and I had a few minutes of baby-sitting left at home – so on a rumor that the owners of SBC might be selling – I drove out for a quick look. The place was packed – owner Steve poured me a beer - Patrick was spinning out in the courtyard – the bbq’s were smoking – and I was stoked.

A year later it’s my party to manage. Let’s just agree the location is central and that we could expect visitors. Residents, former owners, guests – and Seb police all WARNED us about what to expect - - 80+ percent of your guests will ARRIVE having enjoyed alcoholic beverages somewhere else. Officers showed up the day before to let us know they planned walk-thrus – both in and out of uniform – and asked to review our ‘plan’.

As it turns, things flowed really well thru the afternoon – we had three different performers on the acoustic stage – families – groups – a bunch of creative beer tasting going on in the Abbey - - the crowd started to build in earnest from around 6pm on. By 10pm we had 600 on site – 240 max occupancy in the Abbey for Free Peoples + Dgiin – and the rest in the Garden and Tavern – max occupancy. We went to a ‘two in/two out’ policy because we’re required to, and because it helped to insure the quality of the experience for our guests. The show was amazing – the vibe in the Abbey was mellow and fun.

The post above tells the story about what happened at closing. I’m sorry that it happened – but I also know from experience that we may have prevented something worse from happening by dealing with it.

I’ll take the time to meet and talk security with anyone who has some constructive suggestions for us.

The fact that our storage sheds have been broken into several times, my two iPods have been stolen (not my music!) – and lots of other things ‘lifted’ from ‘the Monk’ has never changed my view of this place. This is an amazing community full of remarkable people.

This business is not something to fear.

We’re here to add a little hospitality to the crossroads of a special California place – to return a great building the community – to support and encourage live music and performance – and to create viable employment for those want to work with us.

If you don’t like your food, or the strange Belgium beer I steered you onto – tell me, I’ll buy it for you until we get it right.

Dean Biersch
HopMonk Tavern

[shellebelle]

I took my family there Saturday and sat in the beer garden. Families galore and kids dancing away. We had a great time. It finally got cold so we finished up. We had chose a spot deep in the shade.

I was back Sunday on a date and ended up meeting some friends and it was great again.

I am really enjoying it!

Oh and though I didn't get Natasha but she's a great waitress! I've visited with her a couple of times and have been impressed every time!

[Braggi]

...
Oh and though I didn't get Natasha but she's a great waitress! I've visited with her a couple of times and have been impressed every time!

Yeah, she's very cool!

-Jeff

[Patrick Malone]

Hey everybody...

as the event director of all the music and entertainment at HopMonk, I felt compelled to speak out here.

As it relates to the accident with the gentleman 4-26-08... I AM YOUR WITNESS.

I was behind the bar at the time... roughly 1-am... combing the crowd as the intoxication level of people that day was extremely high due to the Apple Blossom Festival (hence the high level of security). The man was not allowed in earlier because of his condition, but found his way into the building somehow.

1. He proceeded to order several drinks from one of our best male bartenders... changing his mind he then refused to pay for 3 out of 4 he ordered after the tender delivered. When the tender questioned the gentleman he received a mouthful of direct vulgar insults.

2. Bar tender pulls the drinks, cuts him off and calls security. Security (already familiar with him from earlier) told him it was time to go. The man refused and was forced out.

3. Now for the part that know one saw except for myself and the security outside the Petaluma Ave door. Once outside he swings at one of our guards, the same guard who was just assaulted by a patron a week before for no reason but intoxication... (again witnessed by me)

4. They restrain him as he's fully resists all the way to the ground hitting his nose against the concrete.

5. Cops show up and take him away.

My security was not out of line... they did what they are trained to do in this situation. Bottom line is if you insult, offend or hurt our staff you can be expected to be asked to leave. No business should have to tolerate that kind of behavior.

In this business of late night entertainment some people become very rude when drinking... you'd know if you've ever honestly "worked not attended" in this industry.

I feel we're bringing a pretty amazing space here to sebastopol (which I'm born and raised) and we just need to be aware that we're dealing with a tidal wave of volume and are really trying our best to "work-out-the-kinks."

Any bar/club owner, production manager or event producer will be the first to tell yo that good security is extremely hard to find. These guys are better then 90% of the guys I've worked with out there. I'm aware that they're not perfect... but again... we're working out the kinks.

Give us some time guys... we'll get there. We're cognizant of the issues that surround the entire business and are working on them inside the & out.

Please be gentle on us, we're all trying really hard over here to provide Sebastopol a unique space of community & music and you all lovely people play a vital role in this.

kindly,

Patrick Malone
Event Director
HopMonk

[Waccomole]

I'm appreciative of a reasoned approach and an unwillingness to rush to judgement expressed in M Miles post and several others. To ruin a business reputation before it even has one with unsubstantiated accounts is bad form. sez Waccomole

Dean Biersch is the co-owner of HopMonk Tavern, with his brother Gordon Biersch. Here are his digits from his card, which he readily gave me Saturday before last.

Tel: 829-7300
Website: www.hopmonk.com

I too would like confirmation of the beating incident, and if true, the response from management.

I've eaten there thrice. Pretty good. Good service.

They mostly serve super hoppy blonde beers, not my thang. But they have an impressive list and "Beer Bible" descriptions. I'm sure I'll find several brews I like in time. I've been drinking the Fuller's London Pride each time I went. That has been quite satisfactory.

As for the bouncers, never saw them. But I've only been in during the late afternoon.

Bouncers should not be putting their hands on anyone. At least not until polite, but insistent requests to leave have been ignored and clear warnings of the consequences delivered first. In fact, they should only be calling the cops, waiting for them to arrive, and letting the officers do the removal.

And what, pray tell are they doing with said drunks? Stuffing them in their cars and wishing them a safe drive home?

But so far the story is hearsay. Further confirmation and a management reply seems in order.

I'm very happy that a good music venue has opened in Sebasto. I like what they've done with the room that the Powerhouse owners built. Better club set up.

"Mad" Miles

[dylanandjen]

Hello, as a fellow restaurant owner here in town, some of these posts are so silly, I assure you there is a whole entire town who thinks different, while I love WaccoBB and its fellow bloggers, it is in this area where Sebastopol can also seem a little....I don't know...know what I mean? There is a silent majority of folks as well who live here and love to support the local businesses, but I guess I appreciate the acceptance of different ideas and feedback, it is one of the things I love(sometimes not) about West County. I know a LOT of people in this town and every single person I talked to is thrilled and excited by Hopmonk, I am so glad you are here in town and when I finally get some free time, plan to have a beer in your garden, some people are so critical my goodness....
cheers,
jen

[sassyshar]

We had the pleasure of bringing some friends from Southern Cal by on Saturday night. This was our first time at Hopmonk. The redesign is lovely.

One thing we were shocked about however, is that the outdoor patio deck and lower area was so lovely in decor and ambiance, especially with the heaters, but all that decor effort was totally undone by allowing people to smoke.

Nonsmokers couldn't enjoy any of the outdoor area without choking down and wearing second-hand smoke. What an absolute drag to what was otherewise a wonderful experience!

So we're curious -- is this going to be the norm, that cigarette smoke will be allowed in the patio area and that the nonsmoking patrons will be restricted to indoors only?

And this brought us to the next question -- is Sebastopol as progressive as Santa Rosa in regard to banning cigarette smoking in front of bars and restaurants? Perhaps not?

SassyShar

[Jen T.]

Just an unbiased review...

I was very excited to hear that a new brewpub was opening in the old Powerhouse building and I was hopeful about this new business because the owners had run successful brewpubs before. The reality for me so far has been rather poor:-(

1. I went there with my teen daughter for dinner last week. They were busy but we got a table inside and then waited 30 minutes to place our order. We were going to share a burger and an appetizer, but the appetizer didn't arrive for almost an hour and then the burger immediately followed. The appetizer was good (bread, cheese and olive tapenade) but our burger was very bloody even though we asked for medium well. After waiting for over an hour and a half for our food, my daughter and I ended up having only the bread appetizer for dinner and we left hungry.
Rating D-

2. My husband and I went there for lunch yesterday to try again. We sat outside and the restaurant was not very busy at the time. We ordered the calamari appetizer and shared a burger. The appetizer was OK but the dipping sauce was boring and didn't work well with the squid. The burger was OK, but it was pretty flavorless and the bun was dry and crumbly. The prices at Hopmonk are also pretty high. The cost for one appetizer, one shared burger and 2 sodas came to over $32.00 with tax and tip! Rating C-

Overall, I like the "idea" if Hopmonk but they haven't pulled it together yet as far as I'm concerned. The menu choices are limited and honestly, not all that interesting. The prices are high and the food is not all that good. I really want Hopmonk to succeed so I would suggest a retooling of the menu and some lower prices. The restaurant business is notoriously fickle and I'm afraid that business will just evaporate if changes aren't made quickly:-(

[Braggi]

... The appetizer was good (bread, cheese and olive tapenade) but our burger was very bloody even though we asked for medium well. ...

Perhaps they were making up for my burger which I ordered medium rare but came out well done (but not done well).

This mirrors my experience: the appetizers (we had several) we all excellent. The burgers ... well, I advise ordering something else until they get it together.

The beer I had was superb: a "smoked porter" from Stone Brewing in Escondido.

-Jeff

[Deborah]

I decided to check out Hop Monk last Thursday around 6:00 p.m. I sat at the bar in the music area. The bartender was a very nice and well informed young lady. I got great service from her, but it took a half hour to get my appetizer of wasabi peas. something similar to peanuts, no cooking involved!??

I love the idea of having a place like Hop Monk in town, but didn't find the menu especially exciiting, and thought the outside area too small , however I liked the Lattitudes feel to it.
The beer I had was great, but I am a wine drinker usually and wine is not served at the bar I sat at. Wine only served at the formal bar inside. I think this is a mistake, wine choices should be offered at both bars. They do have two house choices available, one white and one red but not ones I wanted. People going to socialize as I was should not have to sit at the other bar to get wine.

Overall, I liked the place and would go back, I talked to some very nice people and had fun.

I hope they do well.

Deborah