Brother John’s Beer, Bourbon and BBQ in the cavernous former Wildcat House on North Stone Avenue was facing a crisis of space not long ago.
Despite having an 1,800-square-foot private dining room and 4,200 square feet of patio space perfect for private catered events, the 8-year-old family-owned restaurant found itself turning down event bookings.
“We don’t have the space or the kitchen capacity to handle them,” said John Aldecoa, one of the four owners. “What we are finding is that we can’t keep up with the demand or the number of events.”
Earlier this month, Aldecoa and his partners — his brother David Aldecoa and Brother John’s Executive Chef Patrick Vezino — made a series of moves that will significantly grow that end of their business:
They signed a five-year lease for the former Lucky Wishbone restaurant at 2712 E. 22nd St., near Country Club Road, and plan to open a commissary kitchen in February to support the catering business. Lucky Wishbone closed in late December.
They inked a five-year lease for The Rubi in Armory Park for weddings and other larger events.
They became the official caterer for Crystal Classics in the Tucson Fine Mineral Gallery at 465 W. St. Mary’s Road. That will entail catering several events for Crystal Classics during the Gem & Mineral show and using the space for other smaller events the rest of the year.
“This is positioning us to keep up with the events and also opening the door to the possibility of bidding bigger events,” Aldecoa said. “It’s our opportunity for growth.”
Brother John’s at 1801 N. Stone Ave. has hosted everything from wedding and celebration of life receptions to business retreats and birthday parties since shortly after the restaurant opened in the sprawling 10,000-square-foot former Wildcat House building. But they quickly discovered the space was not an ideal pitch for wedding ceremonies and more formal events.
“Brother John’s is more of a casual second wedding location, not your first,” Aldecoa joked, adding that they “discovered there’s a whole market for weddings and parties.”
Before Aldecoa and his partners took over the sprawling former bar on North Stone it had been largely vacant after the Wildcat House closed in 2012. The Wildcat House, which opened in 1977, had been a popular University of Arizona sports bar and nightlife destination.
The additional spaces will give Brother John’s more flexibility in its event operations, allowing them to book small parties for 50 to 75 people at the Crystal Classics space and larger more formal events, including weddings, at the The Rubi, 175 E. 12th St.
The Rubi, a 3,600-square-foot Italianate Victorian revival-style home, was built in 1903 for Kentucky attorney Owen T. Rouse and his family. Pete Rubi, a Pima County supervisor and justice of the peace, bought the home in the 1960s and did a years-long renovation beginning in the late 1960s.
Brother John’s General Manager Diana Surridge, who is a partner in The Rubi, will be in charge of the catering operations from the new commissary kitchen. The facility will give Brother John’s the kitchen space needed to support the new venues with a catering menu that crosses culinary genres from the barbecue served at the restaurant to Mediterranean, Southwestern and Mexican fare.
Aldecoa said converting the 2,600-square-foot Lucky Wishbone restaurant into a catering kitchen requires swapping out a couple of the deep-fryers for ovens, tilt skillets and other kitchen equipment.
