San Luis Obispo's industrial corridors east of Broad Street are quietly becoming a dining and drinking destination, with a cluster of food and drink businesses drawing crowds to areas once known for auto shops and back roads.
Laura Fiedler, the city's Economic Development and Tourism Manager, said the shift reflects business owners responding to what customers want.
"I think what you're seeing is our business owners responding to market conditions; they're seeing what people are looking for," Fiedler said.
One of those areas is Duncan Alley, off Orcutt Road, where Ancient Owl Brewery serves as an anchor. Along the road, visitors will also find Kreuzberg Coffee, a wine tasting room, a taproom called Shindig, and Shrine Brewing.
On the other side of Orcutt Road, Duncan Road turns into Sacramento Drive. Head around a bend and swing left onto Via Esteban, and Roberto Court comes into view, home to High Street Deli, situated right next to SLO Cider and surrounded by auto shops and other businesses that, until recently, drew little foot traffic.
Fiedler said the clustering is organic, not planned.
"They're choosing places that they think their businesses can thrive, and they're clustering in ways that are very organic and market-driven. It's very exciting to see these new areas of town come together to create their own neighborhood identity," Fiedler said.
One patron said the appeal is partly about avoiding downtown congestion.
"I love that they went to an alternative place instead of your traditional downtown area, which is so difficult to get to," one patron told KSBY.
The growth is not without growing pains. Auto shops and other longtime businesses in the area are now competing for street parking with deli patrons. Over several days, vehicles were observed circling the area, some unable to find a spot before heading in for food.
Both Fiedler and Jennifer Rice, Deputy Director of Mobility Services for the City of San Luis Obispo, said they are aware that traffic in these normally quiet areas is increasing and they are actively monitoring the situation.
"If it's super successful, and then we have a lot of traffic going through, there's a lot of different ways we plan for that, and monitor it. We do traffic counts; that's a typical thing that the city does," Rice said.
One of the newest additions to the Roberto Court cluster is High Street Deli's third location. The building was refurbished from the ground up, complete with a new menu.
Alex Ullrich, who has worked at High Street Deli for eight years, said the effort was significant but the team is energized.
"A lot of work went into it. We started from the ground up, basically refurbishing the whole building and coming up with a new menu and everything, but we are really excited!" Ullrich said.
Nearby, a bar that distills its own vodka draws a crowd well into the evening. Even in the middle of the day, the bar is full.
"The goal is we want to be the friendly neighborhood bar, not rolling out the red carpet for anyone; it's just like, a bar for all," one staff member told KSBY's Jessica Roe.
High Street Deli's owner said that during just one recent weekend, staff counted more than 80 cyclists arriving at the location. In response, the business plans to add more bike racks to encourage visitors to arrive on two wheels.
If you have a story idea you would like to send to KSBY Reporter Jessica Roe, you can reach her directly via email at jessica.roe@ksby.com.
