James Brennan – Stingaree
Human beings are believed to be innate risk takers: we survive and thrive on risk. This couldn’t be more true of James Brennan, who revolutionized the San Diego clubbing scene with the opening of the trendy and upscale Stingaree nightclub in 2005.
“They told us we were funny when we spent $7 million on Stingaree,” he revealed. But we paid it off in a year and a half.
Brennan, a graduate of the University of San Diego, is CEO and partner of EnDev Enterprises LLC. In addition to Stingaree, he and his team at EnDev have operated a number of nightclubs and restaurants in the San Diego area, including Universal, a swanky nightclub in Hillcrest; Dish, a cafeteria 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 because he and his team treat each other like family. When he hires employees, Brennan looks for a vital quality in an individual: integrity. “The willingness to work hard and put in the hours,” the thirty-six-year-old announced. So far it has been successful. “We’ve lost less than 5 percent of our people, and in this business that’s remarkable,” he said.
No one knows when the economy will pick up, but one thing is for sure, it doesn’t dampen this man’s risk-taking spirit. He and his new partner, Brian Malarkey, a former Oceanaire chef and Top Chef contestant, team up to open a diner in the Gaslamp Quarter. However, it is not your ordinary restaurant. In addition to the food and drinks, an added attraction is Malarkey himself, who will showcase his cooking talents through an open kitchen.
“We’re going to show the place, but we’re going to make Brian the focal point of what we’re selling, which is the whole dining experience, where people sit down, dine, hang out at the table, and drink sangria and specialty cocktails.” Brenan said.
Brennan, is using old methods to ensure the success of the restaurant. “I’m going back to the way I did things when I did Stingaree and Side Bar, which has multiple shareholders who will launch the restaurant and spend their own money and join the building process,” he said. ‘I ran away from that in the current projects.’
Based entirely on the success of his other business ventures, especially with Stingaree, he might be right to use old systems. Besides, isn’t it all about taking risks? Brennan said it right: If you want to make money and enjoy life, you have to take risks. Take it from the owner of the largest and most exclusive nightclub in San Diego.