[PLACEHOLDER · Name]
Then · [PLACEHOLDER]
[PLACEHOLDER · 2 sentences — what Brian saw, what they ran, the instinct that made them stand out.]
[PLACEHOLDER · where they are now]
Consulting · Oakland
Casa Cubana
[PLACEHOLDER: 1-sentence thesis for Casa Cubana — what the room was, what it asked of the program, what Brian delivered.]
01 · The brief
250-seat Cal-Cuban renovation and concepting, Oakland.
Project coordination on a full renovation and reconceptualization for Casa Cubana in Oakland — a 250-seat Cal-Cuban concept. Scope covered concept development, menu redesign, interior renovation coordination, revised operational systems, and a front-of-house and back-of-house retraining program.
Oakland. Casa Cubana was a 250-seat full-service venue on Grand Avenue being taken through a full renovation and reconcepting. The existing operation needed both a physical overhaul and a new culinary identity; the Cal-Cuban direction was the concept the operators committed to. Brief covered both halves.
Physical side: renovation coordination across the interior — design team and construction side integration, bar layout, service-path dimensions, the operational footprint of a 250-seat room that had to work under its new concept. Concept side: menu redesign against the Cal-Cuban register, operational systems rebuilt for the new identity, full FOH and BOH retraining to execute the new program.
Casa Cubana has since closed; the 59 Grand Avenue address now operates as Izzy's Steak & Chop House — a different concept, different operator, different identity. The engagement's work lived in the renovation and the opening of the Cal-Cuban concept; the later change in ownership is separate.
02 · The work
Physical overhaul and concept change, concurrently.
Two projects running inside one engagement — the renovation and the reconcept.
01
Renovation coordination
Interior renovation coordination with the design and construction teams — bar layout, service paths, operational footprint.
A 250-seat room's operational envelope at stake.
02
Concept + menu redesign
New concept committed, menu redesigned against the Cal-Cuban register, beverage program aligned.
Identity change, not just refresh.
03
Systems + retraining
Operational systems rebuilt for the new concept, full front- and back-of-house retraining to execute.
New program, new service — had to hold on night one.
03 · The room
IMG · 4:5Bar, service · [placeholder]
IMG · 4:3Menu detail · [placeholder]
IMG · 4:5Room, late night · [placeholder]
04 · The team
The team Brian built.
Who ran the room. Both are still in the industry.
[PLACEHOLDER · Name]
Then · [PLACEHOLDER]
[PLACEHOLDER · 2 sentences — what they brought, the moves they ran, why their palate mattered.]
[PLACEHOLDER · where they are now]
05 · Press
What they said.
[PLACEHOLDER: 1 sentence framing the press coverage for Casa Cubana.]
[PLACEHOLDER · press pull-quote. 18–30 words. Something confirming the program had a point of view.]Read the piece
[PLACEHOLDER · second press pull-quote. Vary the rhythm.]Read the piece
[PLACEHOLDER · third press pull-quote.]Read the piece
03 · Closed
The address changed hands.
Casa Cubana closed. The 59 Grand Avenue address now operates as Izzy's Steak & Chop House under different ownership.
Closed · Oakland59 Grand Ave, Oakland (now Izzy's Steak & Chop House)
Casa Cubana (closed)
250-seat Cal-Cuban venue in Oakland. Renovated and reconcepted during the engagement; later closed. Space now operates as a different concept under different ownership.
A note from Brian
Running the renovation and the reconcept as one engagement kept the two halves honest with each other. A concept change without the physical work rarely holds.
Brian Howard
Owner & Founder, Liquid Chef Consulting