James Brennan – Stingaree
Human beings are believed to be inherent risk takers – we survive and thrive on risk. This couldn’t be more true of James Brennan, who revolutionized the San Diego club scene with the opening of the trendy and exclusive Stingaree nightclub in 2005.
“They told us we were funny when we spent $ 7 million on Stingaree,” he revealed. “But we pay it off in a year and a half.”
Brennan, a graduate of the University of San Diego, is the CEO and partner of EnDev enterprises LLC. In addition to Stingaree, he and his team at EnDev have operated a number of dives and restaurants in the San Diego area, including Universal, a posh nightclub in Hillcrest; Dish, a cafe in Hillcrest that offers “organic” dishes; and Top of the Cove, an upscale restaurant in La Jolla.
Brennan stated that one of the reasons his business ventures are successful is actually because he and his team treat each other like family. When hiring employees, Brennan looks for a vital quality in an individual: integrity. “Willingness to work hard and put in hours,” the thirty-six-year-old announced. So far it has been successful. “We have lost less than 5 percent of our staff, and in this business that is extraordinary,” he said.
No one knows when the economy will recover, but one thing is for sure: it does not tarnish this man’s spirit of risk. He and his new partner, Brian Malarkey, a former Oceanaire chef and Top Chef contestant, are teaming up to open a café in the Gaslamp Quarter. However, it is not an ordinary restaurant. In addition to the food and drinks, an additional attraction is Malarkey himself, who will showcase his cooking talents through an open kitchen.
“We are going to show the place, but we make Brian the important point of what we are selling, which is the complete dining experience, where people sit, dine, stay at the table and drink sangria and specialty cocktails.” Brennan said.
Brennan, you are using ancient methods to ensure the restaurant’s success. “I’m going to go back to the way I did things when I did Stingaree and Side Bar, which has several shareholders who will offer the restaurant and spend their own money and join the construction process,” he said. “I walked away from that on current projects.”
Based entirely on the success of your other business endeavors, especially with Stingaree, you might be right to make use of legacy systems. Also, isn’t it about taking risks? Brennan put it right: if you want to earn money and enjoy life, you have to take risks. Take it from the owner of the largest and most exclusive nightclub in San Diego.