Popular Craft Beer Hangout Simmzy’s Closes Burbank and Venice Beach Locations

Popular beer brewpub/craft beer bar Simmzy’s is closing its Venice and Burbank locations, most likely due to economic and other pressures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The group raised over $100K to help feed frontline workers in local hospitals, but found it difficult to keep so many locations going. Simmzy’s opened a brewing operation in a standalone building in Burbank back in 2017, preceded by a sunny craft beer hangout in Venice Beach in 2015. Still, Simmzy’s will continue to have Smog City Brewing Company produce its popular line of beers and continues to operate locations in Manhattan Beach (the original), Huntington Beach, Long Beach, and El Segundo. With such a strong dependency on beer served on site, the closure on dine-in service is likely an additional complication for places like Simmzy’s.

In other news:

— Santa Monica Daily Press has intel on the outdoor dining scenario for the Westside city, including places like Pasjoli, Orto, Lunetta, and Caffe Luxxe.

— NRN has news that Shake Shack’s LAX location has closed due to a scheduled overhaul of the terminal. The NYC-based company is also launching drive-thru locations in suburban markets, though it declined to say where exactly. Imagine dozens of Shake Shack drive-thrus across Southern California. They could do very brisk business.

— Forager Jess Starwood, who has supplied LA restaurants like N/Naka and Yapa, gets a feature in LAist. Starwood has been working around the pandemic by preserving as many foods as possible, like drying mushrooms and herbs.

— Artist Lauren Halsey has been helping to bring fresh produce to underserved neighborhoods in LA with this feature from LA Times critic Patricia Escárcega.

— Top Chef winner Brooke Williamson has partnered with OC brewery The Bruery for a trio of new beers (this is their second collaboration). Though Williamson closed her popular Playa del Rey spot The Tripel, she’s planning to serve these beers at Playa Provisions just down the street. The collab includes a beer-wine hybrid called The Vine, a huckleberry-fruited tripel, and a thyme-flavored spiced stout.

— Japanese convenience store sandwiches are surging in LA right now. Influencer Sydney Yorkshire (aka @whatcouldbebutter) started up Egg Salad Sando, a delivery service of those gorgeous sandwiches, on Instagram this week: