UPDATE: The Wandering Griffin & Wanderlust Coffee Bar to open Wed. Nov 23rd. Grand Opening celebration Friday Dec. 2nd. 2016
Wandering Griffin Brewpub Prepares To Open In Beavercreek
Brian Young and Tony Griffin are passionate about the craft beer business. Young, a marketer and a founding member of Fifth Street Brewpub; Griffin, a Certified Management Accountant and Treasurer of the Fifth Street Co-Op each bring essential experience to the team.
The two friends found themselves seeing eye-to-eye on their dreams for the ideal brewpub during casual conversations and decided to act. Young & Griffin began scouting for a space, recruiting investors, and making plans. They found a location, couldn’t quite work the details out, resumed their search, and voila the site of the former Quaker Steak & Lube met all their requirements. It is minutes from WPAFB, Wright State, the Nutter Center, Fairfield Commons Mall, and I-675, with over 400 parking spaces, a kitchen, working restrooms, patio, and ample space to add a brew house inside.
The pair used reclaimed wood from an 1860’s barn along with several other local historic treasures to transform the interior into the unique space they dreamed of. You can even read 1919’s Volstead Act that established prohibition on a table top in the main bar area. They will open with a full liquor license, though it will be a little while before they’re brewing on site.
The Wandering Griffin will include a coffee bar. Shane Anderson, founder of Ghostlight Coffee in Dayton will operate Wanderlust. Why include a coffee bar? Young cited long lines and no space to sit at an area competitor. Guests who need more than one kind of “juice” will appreciate the extra wall outlets and charging stations on the art deco bar in the Explorers Room.
I don’t know if he was joking or not when Young told me that chicken wings will not grace their menu, time will tell. I feel confident that he will perfect a gourmet Tater Tot to add to the menu. The tot he described will be a delight, unlike anything that can be found in your grocer’s freezer.
