EL SEGUNDO HERALD December 17, 2020 Page 7
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Krieger from front page
dining grant, which is capped at $30,000,
Krieger said that the application process,
and the hoops to jump through, were trying.
He said that the initial window to apply for
the grant was at midnight, “why start it at
midnight?” a timing he said was “mean and
stupid.” After initially trying to apply for the
grant, four hours later, before the sun came
up, he was stymied, with all his entered information
wiped-out. The powers-that-be had
underestimated the amount of COVID-weary
bar and restaurant owners who would apply
for the cash, and the website crashed.
A Philadelphia-area native, Krieger, who
has co-owned the Tavern since 2002, and
Brewport since April of 2017, relocated to
Hacienda Heights at the age of five when his
mother and stepfather moved to California.
After completing high school, Krieger said that
his mother and stepfather planned to return to
Pennsylvania, an East Coast journey he said
was of no interest to him.
“They pretty much ditched me,” he said.
“So, I said, ’bye’, I am good here.” He ended
up attending college at UCLA, where he spent
his five years in Westwood ensconced in the
cozy confines of fraternity row, living the life
of a Greek God.
It was while attending UCLA that Krieger
became intrigued with the possibilities of
owning a bar/restaurant. During his collegiate
years, he promoted a one-day-a-week college
night at a Westside bar and distributed
a tabloid publication to colleges from Long
Beach to the Valley that noted the myriad
opportunities for college students to engage
in the vagaries of alcohol-fueled collegiate
after-hours shenanigans.
Krieger then toiled for a few restaurant chains
that ended-up hightailing it out of California.
“I was the merchant of death,” for businesses,
Krieger said, noting his employment with
chains that had vanished.
During his tenure at Hennessy’s, Krieger
managed all three of the South Bay stores,
which led to the opening of the Tavern on
Main on April Fool’s Day, 2002. Krieger
said he liked the idea of debuting his new
venture on April 1 and that opening his own
place had “kind of been a goal for a while.”
As restaurants and bars struggle to stay open
during the pandemic (Hennessy’s has currently
fully closed their three South Bay stores at
this point), Krieger said that it is somewhat
a roll-of-the-dice when deciding to go full
shutdown or try to subsist on takeout and
delivery until the hospitality industry returns
to a semblance of normalcy.
He noted that the shutdowns’ timing has
been more impactful at Brewport, where a
spacious store remodel was completed a year
ago, and the necessities for the outdoor dining
option had been added in the lot behind
the store. “The Tavern is doing better than
Brewport,” he said.
Through all the turmoil, Krieger gives high
praise to the City of El Segundo’s leaders, who
have done whatever possible to help the bar/
restaurant owners and employees.
“The City of El Segundo has been great
from the get-go,” he said, once the pandemic
started affecting bars and restaurants in March.
Krieger has worked with the Chamber of
Commerce and local restaurateurs to develop
the Gundo-to-Go program and to secure the
outside dining barricades that were set up on
local thoroughfares.
Pat Cox, who co-manages and partners with
Krieger in running Brewport, has known
Krieger for about 15 years. Cox said he felt
confident in entering into a business relationship
with Krieger “because he seemed to have
a (positive) demeanor with customers,” also
noting Krieger’s interaction with the community,
and possessing a “good pulse of what is
going on in town.” Cox said Krieger is able
to stay “grounded,” focusing on the needs of
both his customers and employees. “He is
generous with his time and his passion for
doing the right thing,” Cox said.
The current general manager of the Tavern
on Main is Xavier Flamenco, who has known
Krieger for more than two decades and had
worked with Krieger back in the Hennessey’s
days. Flamenco, who has drawn a paycheck
from the Tavern for more than seven years,
said he enjoys his work. “We get along very
well,” he said. “I think that since we both
worked for the same company for a long time,
we both adopted some of the basic business
policies that (Hennessey’s) followed,” and that
allows Flamenco to have a general idea on
how Krieger will react to business challenges.
“Kristian is one of the nicest guys I know,”
Flamenco said. “He is one of those people who
goes out of his way to try to keep people happy.
Krieger is sanguine in his COVID-19 assessment.
“It is tough, we have been beat-up
bad, but I also realize that everybody must
do their part, but the only way that we are
going to get past this is to get it under control
and make it to the other end.” He thinks that
most of the elected and non-elected officials,
statewide are “trying, doing their best… (but
I) think they re-opened too fast,” which led
to COVID spikes. “I am out every single
day in the public…I am concerned, but not
petrified because that is what I have to do,”
while noting that the recent shutdown could
lead to the permanent closure of many area
establishments.
Krieger said that the Tavern, which once
employed about 40 workers, now has about
a half dozen. And Brewport is also working
with a skeleton crew.
When not contemplating new menus and
business plans, Krieger, who lives on the
westside of El Segundo, said that he likes to
hit the golf links once-a-month for a little rest
and recreation. But his day planner is mainly
filled with work-related entries. He said that
he is “working more and harder than before,”
trying to plan for the next day, as well as for
what the hospitality scenery will look like in
three months.
He said that he is hopeful that once the
vaccines become readily available, the city
will again approve outside dining, at least
through summer.
As a restaurant/bar owner located in town for
nearly two decades, Krieger remembers when
“Mayberry” pretty much shut down after dark.
But times have changed, and Krieger said that
180-degree turn started to occur when other
bars/restaurants bars started to take hold on
Main Street, noting Rock & Brews, which
is located a stone’s throw from the Tavern.
Suddenly, in-and-out of towners who had
gravitated to the blossoming hedonistic bar
scene in Hermosa Beach were either staying
in town or making El Segundo a destination
spot for their revelry.
Krieger said he does not begrudge other
establishment’s successes, saying that “as
long the Tavern’s sales were going in the
right direction, they could be as successful
as they want.”
As the interview wound down, Krieger wanted
to add one thought. If you are looking to help
bars and restaurants in these cataclysmic times,
a great way to do that is to purchase Holiday
gift cards, he opined. Those purchases give
establishments a much-needed cash flow as
we endure a new kind of Holiday season.
“Gift cards, gift cards, gift cards,” he repeated.
“It is a great stocking stuffer. That will help the
restaurants right now, and then when things get
straightened out, people can start using their
cards,” calling it an across-the-board way to
support struggling businesses.
So, if possible, open up your wallets to
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Police Reports from page 4
victim’s vehicle.
A shoplifting report was taken at 1222
hours from the 300 block of North Pacific
Coast Highway.
A burglary (residential) report was taken
report was taken at 1801 hour from the 300
block of Bungalow Drive. Taken was a bicycle.
A found property report was taken at 2237
hours from the 700 block of East Grand
Avenue. Found were bolt cutters.
One male adult was detained at 0544
house frown the 2200 block of East Imperial
Highway and transported to Harbor UCLA
for a psychiatric.
An online petty theft report was taken at
0329 hours from the 700 block of West Imperial
Avenue. Taken was a FedEx Package.
Friday, Dec 11th
A stolen vehicle report was taken at 0701
hours from the 700 block of Main Street.
Stolen was a 2001 Chevy Silverado.
A vandalism report was taken at 0955
hours from West Acacia Avenue. The victim’s
vehicle window was shattered by unknown
suspect(s).
A vandalism report was taken at 1051 hours
from the 700 block of Bungalow Drive. The
victim’s vehicle was keyed overnight by unknown
suspect(s).
A vandalism report was taken at 1238 hours
from the 200 block of West Imperial Highway.
The victim’s vehicle window was smashed by
unknown suspect(s).
One male adult was arrested at 1936 hour
from Imperial Highway and California Street
for petty theft, one outstanding misdemeanor
warrant out of Manhattan Beach PD and one
outstanding warrant out of Los Angeles PD.
One male adult was cited and release at
0419 hours from Grand Avenue and Main
Street for one outstanding misdemeanor
warrant out of CCPD.
One male adult was arrested at 0435 hours
from Main Street and Oak Avenue for possession
of drug paraphernalia.
Saturday, Dec 12th
A petty theft report was taken at 1929
hours from the 300 block of West Grand
Avenue. Taken was a food order from the
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