Hop Riot barista Rad Sharma prepares an espresso drink July 24 at Hop Riot in Wheatland. The business recently expanded its hours to include morning coffee service.

 

WHEATLAND, CA (MPG) - Hop Riot is opening its doors much earlier, adding espresso drinks and morning gathering space to its beer-and-wine business. But the new coffee service comes with the same rule as the bar: Customers must be 21 or older to enter.

The unusual combination grew out of a last-minute business pivot that earned owner Sean Clearwater the top prize and a $10,000 award in the latest Yes to Yuba Start Ups competition.

Clearwater originally entered the seven- to eight-week business development program with plans to expand Hop Riot's backyard patio. The outdoor space borders residential properties and is separated from neighboring homes by a 6-foot fence.

Nearby residents raised concerns about potential noise, complicating Clearwater's effort to extend alcohol service to the patio. He pursued the proposal through a hearing, reconsideration request and appeal, but said the final decision prohibits beer and wine service in the outdoor space.

With only days left before financial projections, a business plan and pitch materials were due for the competition, Clearwater said he was ready to withdraw.

"My whole plan was in the toilet," Clearwater said. "But then somebody from the local coffee industry came in and was like, 'Have you thought about doing coffee?'"

Hop Riot, 407 Fourth St. in Wheatland, now serves coffee from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Because it operates under a Type 42 beer-and-wine license, customers must be 21 or older to enter.

Clearwater said he turned to ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence tool, to help assemble the new business proposal.

"I went to ChatGPT, who I talk to every day, and I said, 'Give me financial projections, a pitch deck and a business plan,'" Clearwater said. "Three minutes later, boom, boom, boom. Gorgeous. And I won the freaking contest."

Clearwater still had to present and defend the proposal before the judges, pitching the coffee expansion as a way to give Wheatland residents a comfortable daytime gathering place.

"It's nice to have a coffee shop in town," said Sonja Skvarla, Hop Riot's interior designer and a customer. "Wheatland hasn't had a place to come hang out like this. It's a good community builder, too. I think it's a great addition and definitely a place I'll use myself."

About half of the $10,000 award paid for espresso equipment and supplies. The remainder covered labor, marketing and improvements, including epoxy flooring.

"You blink and $10,000 is gone," Clearwater said.

Clearwater also spent time choosing the right coffee. After a blind tasting at Six Degrees Coffee in Chico, he and his staff selected the Legato roast from Chico-based Rhapsody Coffee.

In music, "legato" refers to notes played smoothly and connected. Clearwater said the name fit the business, which now blends coffee with its existing offerings.

"It just fits perfectly," Clearwater said. "I'm mixing coffee with what we already have, so it just felt like a cool story, almost serendipitous."

Because Hop Riot operates under a Type 42 beer-and-wine license and is not classified as a restaurant, Clearwater said no one younger than 21 may enter the business, even when only coffee is being served. The restriction also applies to parents accompanied by children.

"It's a little weird, and it catches people off guard," Clearwater said. "The problem, from a licensing standpoint, is that it's not like I can lock up the beer taps. It's all out."

The indoor coffee service will remain limited to customers 21 and older. Clearwater hopes to eventually install a walk-up service window facing the alley beside the building, allowing families, teenagers and others who cannot enter the lounge to order coffee outside. He also envisions adding picnic tables, umbrellas, string lights and movable planters to create a more welcoming outdoor space.

Until then, Hop Riot remains what Clearwater calls "bar first, coffee second," even during its morning coffee hours.

For more information, visit hop-riot.com.