By SDCN Staff
San Diego, CA–The Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners has approved an option to lease agreement with The Rustic for a full-service restaurant and bar with indoor and outdoor seating, live indoor music, and dock and dine at a site on the Embarcadero known as the historic San Diego Rowing Club near the San Diego Convention Center and the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.
The Rustic is a dining and entertainment brand by Free Range Holdings, LLC, which operates four The Rustic restaurants in Texas, including the flagship location in Houston adjacent to the Houston Convention Center, Minute Maid Park, and Houston Toyota Center. The Embarcadero site on San Diego Bay will be the restaurant’s first location in California.
In San Diego, The Rustic plans to offer customers a dining and entertainment experience by creating an inviting environment with local American fare, craft beers, wine, and cocktails. The restaurant also plans to offer live indoor music, including its popular Jam and Toast family-style brunch, which includes communal dining and live acoustic performances.
“With its historic designation, this is one of the most distinctive restaurant properties on San Diego Bay,” said Chair Danielle Moore, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. “It’s important that we have the right partner—one that will both invest in the property and build on the success of The Rady Shell and the Convention Center. The Rustic will bring new energy and a fresh experience to the site and to our waterfront.”
“We’re proud to bring The Rustic to San Diego in a way that celebrates the city’s creative heartbeat,” said Kyle Noonan, co-founder and co-CEO of Free Range Holdings, LLC. “We’re excited to partner with local purveyors and artists to create a space that feels authentically San Diego — built by the people who make this city so special.”
If The Rustic satisfies specific preconditions of the option agreement, the lease will be executed. The preconditions include securing project financing, obtaining all necessary construction and project permits, providing a construction contract, and completing a parking study and management plan. The conditions are designed to ensure operational and construction readiness, as well as alignment with project requirements, before lease execution. The lease has a 15-year term with two 5-year options to extend.
Additionally, as part of the lease, The Rustic and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra have reached a scheduling agreement that provides for coordination between the Symphony and The Rustic with respect to performances at The Rustic and The Rady Shell, ensuring that performances at each venue do not conflict with each other regarding sound and operations. The Rustic is also limited to 12 ticketed events per calendar year and must comply with local noise ordinances.
The construction and opening timelines are to be determined. The option provides The Rustic up to 24 months to satisfy the required preconditions needed to execute the lease. Construction can begin once the preconditions are met and the Lease has been executed.
The San Diego Rowing Club was built in 1900. It’s a 9,000 square foot building with a wrap-around patio, a boat dock, and 56 parking spaces.
