‘Cheers’ bar of Santa Rosa: Juncture Taproom survives amid wildfires, pandemic thanks to customer loyalty

The list of obstacles that Peter Lopez Jr. has encountered since he opened his taproom in east Santa Rosa in May 2017 are the type of things not covered by business books for entrepreneurs.

They’re more akin to the Old Testament.

There were the historic October 2017 fires that displaced some of his customers. After a year in business, Lopez was forced into a name change from its original Confluence Taproom after an Iowa brewery with the same name raised objections. That resulted in Juncture Taproom and Lounge.

Next up came more wildfires and power outages from Pacific Gas & Electric where Lopez had to rely on friends with generators to keep the power on.

Then came COVID-19 almost three years ago, a brutal event for those businesses that rely on on-site sales.

As the pandemic waned, inflation struck next that made everything more expensive -- from the craft beer to its chicken wings, which Lopez has maintained the price at $18 for a dozen along with celery, carrots and dip.

All Lopez wants is for a normal 2023, which will allow to pay himself regularly from his business proceeds.

“I take my salary when it’s convenient for Juncture,” said Lopez, a 42-year-old Piner High School graduate. The business has had profitable quarters, but has never been in the black for a full year.

Lopez started Juncture after working as a wine buyer for Wilibees Wines and Spirits and Oliver’s Market, giving him a deep understanding the intricacies of the wholesale alcohol market. He also developed deep connections in the local beer scene as a founder of the Nor Cal Beer Geeks group, providing knowledge of the best local beers that would attract customers.

The business is a family affair as Lopez’s niece and nephew work behind the bar. A 19-year-old daughter works in the kitchen where his 72-year-old mother also helps out making the tostadas every Tuesday and ceviche every Friday. That helps attract patrons inside looking for quick bite along with their beer.

“I almost feel guilty asking her to make the tostadas and ceviche, but our customers love them so such, and she loves doing it,” Lopez said. “It’s kind of the signature thing and people come just for my mom’s food.”

Juncture attracts the typical crowd of millennial and Gen X consumers looking for the latest release from one of their favorite breweries while also catching a game on TV. But the taproom has evolved into a local hangout space with a broader clientele and customers as varied as couples with young children or female nurses after work catching up in a comfy environment.

It’s representative of so many Sonoma County pubs, breweries and small non-franchised restaurants that have had to adopt new strategies on the heels of so many business challenges these past five years.

“My favorite definition of who we are and what we do is that we are a public house. Pub is for a public house,” Lopez said.

“This where we come together to celebrate. This is where we come to mourn. If you are scared and lonely, you come around other people and you listen to music and you can forget about your thoughts for a minute.”

In fact, Lopez makes it a point of personal pride that he knows many of his customers’ names and their lives, much like Ted Danson’s Sam Malone character on the TV show “Cheers” during the 1980s.

That includes customers like Adam and Sarah Palafox, who were eating dinner with their 2-year-old son, Thomas, one Friday night at the taproom.

“It’s a community,” Adam Palafox said of the reason that his family comes regularly to the spot.

The couple held planning sessions for their wedding at Juncture as they live nearby. They also had their engagement party there.

“When we were dating and newly engaged, we would come here,” Sarah Palafox said. “Through the fires and the pandemic, this is the spot we would come to.”

Lopez said he has put most of his savings into the business amid spending about 60 hours a week on site at the taproom. He has been buoyed by his fiance, who earns a good salary as a nurse, to help with his two children and create a life outside of work even as he concedes that striking the balance has not been easy.

“I did exactly what you’re never supposed to do because over the course of over 5 1/2 years, I put all my eggs in one basket. And that’s not what you are supposed to do,” Lopez said. “But it almost makes it easier as … I’m all in now.”

The goal for the new year is to avoid writing a post on social media announcing that he has to close the doors of Juncture, following in the line of what owners of such brewpubs as No Quarter Brewing in Windsor; Steele and Hops in Santa Rosa; and Grav South Brew Co. in Cotati already had to do in 2022.

“The people closest to me know that I can live with anything. I don't want to be the old man in the rocking chair looking back with regret,” Lopez said.

“If I have to make this post that Juncture is no longer going to be around, I want to know that I literally did everything I could. So, if I can tell you that I did everything I could and it wasn't enough, then I'm OK.”