The Alcatraz Brewing Company in Tempe, Arizona, is the third edition of the themed restaurant/brewery concept introduced by the California Cafè Restaurant Corp. The 400-seat, 15,000-sq.-ft. Tempe store, located in the 1.25 million-sq.-ft. Arizona Mills development, echoes the elements found in the original Alcatraz restaurant in Indianapolis. Woven-steel “sentry towers” secured by mannequin “guards” loom over the dining room, search lights beam from a stucco lighthouse and a 24-ft.-tall replica of the Golden Gate Bridge towers over the space. Overhead catwalks, a walk-in jail cell and other visual reminders of “The Rock” add to the experience, along with sound effects that include a foghorn, seals and cable-car bells.
The restaurant was designed by Engstrom Design Group, San Rafael, Calif. The original Alcatraz Brewing Company opened in Indianapolis, followed by a store in Littleton, Colo. Since the Tempe opening, additional units have opened in Orange, Calif., and Auburn Hills, Mich.
Photos: Andrew Kramer