German restaurant to open in former Higher Groundz spot in SLO

Another German restaurant will open in San Luis Obispo by February. Owner Beda Schmidthues said he hopes to create a feeling of “gemütlichkeit”— a place with a coziness and camaraderie.

“I’ve lived here for many years, and I’ve been looking for a place where you could get this feeling, that is not in the hustle and bustle of downtown where you are surrounded by tourists,” Schmidthues said.

It was not until three years ago, when the recession forced Schmidthues out of his job at children’s art company Rip Squeak Media that he seriously considered opening a restaurant, he said. Then he had to find the correct location.

Beda’s Biergarten will open at 3230 Broad St., Suite 130 — the space occupied by coffee shop Higher Groundz until it closed in early December — sometime in late January or early February, Schmidthues said.

It is the second German restaurant to open in San Luis Obispo in the past year, following The Wineman GrillHaus, which opened in downtown San Luis Obispo in August.

Schmidthues said Beda’s Biergarten will have a “German pub” feel, and will serve authentic German cuisine such as schnitzel, rouladen and frikadellen, using some of his own family recipes. (Schmidthues and his wife moved to the United States from Germany approximately 30 years ago, he said.) Schmidthues’ daughter and her husband will also work at the restaurant as manager and chef, respectively.

He declined to disclose his investment in opening the 1,300-square-foot restaurant, saying just that “a group of friends” are investors.

Schmidthues has begun hiring for the restaurant, he said, though he is still looking for some serving and kitchen staff.

This story was originally published December 26, 2014 at 11:21 AM with the headline "German restaurant to open in former Higher Groundz spot in SLO."