AquaBrew Hosts Local Charity Groups

By Clayton Kelley
News Reporter

Visitors of downtown San Marcos are now able to grub on craft food and drink beer while also having the opportunity to support local charity organizations.

After opening their doors last month, AquaBrew owner Carlos Russo said he hopes that holding events for charity groups will establish a good friendship between the restaurant and various organizations within San Marcos.

“The idea is to do 21 days of benefits and donate those profits to these charities,” Russo said. “We may end up doing it for longer, but our goal is 21 days.”

He said many charity organizations are very self­-sufficient and will set up their donation tent’s outside of the restaurant. Organizations like School Fuel have already raised approximately 500 dollars in one night.

“I want the charity work to be reflective of the overall atmosphere I’m trying to bring to San Marcos,” Russo said. “It’s a shoutout to my staff about generosity and how generosity is always going to be a part of our hospitality program whether it’s generosity via these various benefits or directly from our own customer based.”

Community Action was one of the many volunteer groups that appeared at AquaBrew’s opening week. Head Start program director Sued Hooper said the support from AquaBrew has helped their cause in a positive way.

“For us, it was very refreshing to see a business supporting social service agencies,” Hooper said. “Knowing the community comes together and there’s understanding, it’s very humbling.”

Russo hopes by supporting these local charities that he can create a holistic approach to his business. He said he has many plans for the infrastructure of AquaBrew in the future.

“The city and AquaBrew signed a license agreement for valet parking,” Russo said. “Now we’re just waiting on some permanent signs up front and we’re going to roll it out perhaps in April or May once we get everything ready for it.”

Russo says to expect more local musicians performing on the rooftop in the near future.