Social Kitchen + Craft Bar is celebrating 10 years in business, but the real celebration was surviving COVID-19 and getting a new lease on life thanks to new owners Mike Zerkel and Chris Antonius, who took full possession of the restaurant in May.
If their names don’t sound familiar, it’s because Zerkel and Antonius are not restaurateurs. The pair are business partners in various technology endeavors, including being the former owners of the Santa Ana development company, Verys. They came up with an idea to purchase an established restaurant that was not doing well and obtain it for a good price.
That restaurant turned out to be Social.
“Social started in 2014. It was more clubby with good food, and the nightlife there was popular. There was a line on the weekends to get in,” Zerkel told the Business Journal.
“During the COVID years, they struggled because the business dried up for 18 months and they had no patio.”
Original owner Daniel Biello, the founder of Chronic Tacos, had a sister Social location in Huntington Beach, which closed during COVID and never reopened.
After taking over, Zerkel and Antonius have invested in much-needed maintenance and refreshed the interior. One key move they made was bringing back Social’s original Executive Chef Jeffrey Boullt. The chef, who spent time at Playground in Santa Ana and several other restaurants in Los Angeles before returning to Social earlier this year, has designed a seasonally inspired menu of shared plates, salads and main dishes that range from a “Drive Thru” burger to pozole rojo.
Noted mixologist Gabrielle Dion was brought in to create a new craft cocktail program. She enjoys the new Social atmosphere so much that she can be found behind the bar several nights a week.
“She is a consultant but is in our restaurant 20 hours a week,” Zerkel said. “She sources the products, trains the bartenders and helps with the scheduling.”
The changes are working, said Zerkel, but it took time.
“We went from a place that was 40% full to a place that was 20% full, but now it’s back to 70% and November and December are cranking,” he said. “I went in yesterday and sat at the bar. The place was booming. It put a smile on my face because four or five months ago it was not like that.”
The restaurant is also developing a loyal following as 80% of the diners are repeat customers, he added.
Part of the increase is due to an adjacent space that Social acquired that is now an event facility. Zerkel already has a dozen events booked for December.
TRELA’S HOT TAKE
For my recent visit to Social Kitchen + Craft Bar on a Friday night, I sat at the bar and started with a Rye Witch cocktail: Rye & Sons rye whiskey, Strega, amontillado sherry and bitters.
It reminded me of an Old Fashioned, which I love, but the Strega liqueur and the sherry took the cocktail in a fun and tasty direction.
I began my Social culinary journey with chicken croquettes featuring Jidori chicken, smoked crème fraîche, wild greens, baby heirloom tomato and black truffle pearls. The dish was pretty on the plate and sublime on my palate.
I almost ordered the burger, but the pozole sounded intriguing: pork shank, hominy, cabbage, radish, cilantro, onion, avocado and tostadas. The pork was practically falling off the bone, and the rich hominy soup had just the right amount of spice and felt perfect for a crisp fall evening.
Chef Jeffrey Boullt is changing the menu in December. It will still have the pozole and burger, which Mike Zerkel claimed is one of the best he’s had, but there will be more shareable and small plates.
“Not everyone wants pozole,” said Zerkel. “You will see an expanded small plate menu, plus several entrees, salads and desserts.”
The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday, including weekend brunch.
Social Kitchen + Craft Bar, 512 West 19th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 571-6870, www.social.restaurant
