Businesses reveal challenges of operating in The Yard

The Yard’s foodservice folks talk about the unique challenges and victories of operating in, well, a yard.

Belcampo

Bronwen Sterling
Director of Retail
Belcampo Meat Co.

About Belcampo

A butcher shop and restaurant with seven locations throughout Southern California and the Bay Area, Belcampo operates its own certified-organic farm and humane-certified meat processing plant.

On why Belcampo set up shop at The Yard

Before opening its shipping-container home March 25, Belcampo experimented with tenancy through a hot dog cart at one of The Yard’s farmers markets. Its product turned out to be a good fit, because, “there’s not a lot of organic offerings in the ballpark,” Sterling says.

On how Belcampo’s traditional retail menu was edited for a concessions space

“We debuted our veggie burger here (featuring quinoa, Arborio rice, lentils, mushrooms and shallots), and will roll it out to our other locations later,” she says. Belcampo at The Yard also is menuing kielbasa and hot links, available only as butcher-shop items at other locations.

With people who work and live nearby in mind, Sterling says Belcampo is preparing to launch a larger selection of salads, though all sandwiches currently are available on lettuce.

On altering Belcampo’s service to fit the space

“The biggest thing is efficiency, especially with the time limits we’re facing. These people all have to be in the ballpark by 7 p.m. [for a game], and you don’t want to be the reason they’re late,” Sterling says. At The Yard, Belcampo uses a pager system for orders, and aims for a 7-minute ticket time as opposed to 10 to 15 minutes for some items at its table-service locations.

On a harebrained marketing scheme

Since AT&T Park is located directly on the waterfront, small watercraft often pull up in the harbor to watch games. Sterling says she’d love to set up boat delivery straight from Belcampo’s kitchen, though admits it “would be extremely logistically challenging.”

Aside from this maritime plot, Sterling says The Giants have made a big marketing push for The Yard, considering the Muni (public transit) lets out on the opposite side of the stadium and fans may not notice the new space. “It’s cool to be in your hometown team’s backyard,” she says.

Anchor Brewing Co.

Derek Hunter
Director of Hospitality
Anchor Brewing Co.

About Anchor Brewing

Though Anchor has been brewing since 1896, The Yard location is the company’s first freestanding bar, offering 22 brews on tap daily (seven created exclusively for The Yard).

On the ebb and flow of customers at The Yard

During home games, there’s more traffic than you would expect, Hunter says, but “during the quiet times, it’s tough to keep [employees] motivated.” But the location gets a lot of traffic from the nearby tech companies, which Anchor has turned into a marketing opportunity. Hunter will create an individual special for companies if employees drop off a business card.

On the challenges of operating entirely outdoors

“When it gets cold, we get empty,” Hunter says. The Yard rented blankets for customers to use on chilly days, but isn’t allowed to install space heaters due to Port Authority regulations. Anchor recently adjusted its close time from 11 p.m. to 9 p.m. to account for the chilly San Francisco evenings.

On Anchor Brewing’s future in the neighborhood

Hunter calls The Yard location “almost a test market to see if [the brewpub model] will work for other locations.” Anchor plans to quadruple its manufacturing capacity with a new Pier 48 facility as part of the Mission Rock Development Project, set to open in about 2 years. “I think we’re capturing more of San Francisco as a gathering place for the city,” he says.

Creperie Saint-Germain

Zee Aynaci
Head of Potatoes
Creperie Saint-Germain

About CSG

A fast-casual creperie with two additional kiosk locations and a catering kitchen nearby, Creperie Saint-Germain was born in 2009 when Aynaci quit her job in IT to pursue a more fulfilling path. The Yard location is housed in a trailer that Aynaci and her team picked up in Florida and retrofitted over the course of about 10 weeks.

On expanding CSG’s menu for The Yard

Aynaci was excited about being able to serve healthier fare near a ballpark, though she says the pulled pork and Cuban sandwiches, both unique to this location, have been best sellers so far. Fresh-squeezed juices also are “gone at the end of the day,” she says. CSG recently hired a new chef from South America, who’s been incorporating new flavors into the menu in the form of daily specials.

On the advantages of operating near a ballpark

The Yard also is CSG’s only location that carries alcohol, and Aynaci says it’s been interesting to see what’s selling and when. A lot of sangria sold during the grand opening party March 25, she says, but, “this game thing is about beer. We’ve sold a lot of beer kegs.” Champagne also wasn’t a big seller during a preseason exhibition game.

On forming customer relationships

“If they buy beer, we give them guac and chips,” says Aynaci. “They said we are very nice.” She’s also looking into hiring a DJ for brunches and after-work happy hour. “This is a city [where] they really recognize and appreciate local.”