FREMONT — Jack’s Brewing Firm, an adored Fremont brewpub and restaurant, will elevate a glass one final time on New Yr’s Eve, marking the top of a greater than two decade period.
Recognized by some locals as “the Cheers of Fremont,” Jack’s first opened in 1999 within the Fremont Hub, a well-liked outside buying heart. Tricia and Brian Sparling took over the bar from its earlier homeowners in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
Having been regulars on the bar for years, they had been keen to begin their new enterprise enterprise.
The micro-brewery, pub and restaurant sports activities a dark-stained horseshoe wooden bar, high-top tables and comfortable cubicles. It was effectively referred to as a hot-spot throughout Sunday and Monday Night time Soccer.
Tricia, a 49ers fan, and Brian, a Inexperienced Bay Packers loyalist who grew up in Wisconsin, often hosted pleasant rivalry watch events when their groups performed one another. Brian personally added Jack’s to the casual listing of nationwide Packers bars on PackersEverywhere.com – a degree of pleasure for the Cheesehead who has lived in California for the final 30 years.
Jack’s Brewing Firm co-owners Brian and Tricia Sparling exterior the restaurant in Fremont, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The enterprise is closing after being open since 1999. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
“I wanted to push the Packer boundary a little bit,” Brian mentioned.
Jack’s faucets are poured from a listing of domestically made beers, together with six brewed in-house: Jack’s IPA, a Boys of Summer time wheat pilsner, an amber ale, a pale ale and a porter. In 2024, Jack’s celebrated 25 years of service with a restricted run of “Witches Brew,” an 11.3% apple-flavored hybrid brew that was wildly widespread for its single launch.
The menu options traditional pub meals alongside heftier meals.
Common open mic occasions at Jack’s featured a variety of bands for reside performances and likewise served as a gathering place for a lot of, together with an area group who loved utilizing their again room to play Rummikub, a tile-based recreation made for 2 to 4 gamers.
Though it’s beloved domestically by scores of standard patrons, particularly close by sports activities followers and households, Jack’s will shut on the finish of the yr.
“We’ve loved a lot of it, but what we didn’t know was that the restaurant had some major repair issues. It was about a year in that everything started to break,” Tricia mentioned. “The hits kept coming and I think it was the universe telling us it was time to close up.”
Jack’s Brewing Firm co-owner Tricia Sparling talks with prospects on the restaurant in Fremont, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The enterprise is closing after being open since 1999. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
Jack’s Brewing Firm co-owner Brian Sparling, left, talks with longtime buyer Jim Spangler on the bar in Fremont, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The enterprise is closing after being open since 1999. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
Jack’s Brewing Firm co-owners Brian and Tricia Sparling hang around on the bar in Fremont, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The enterprise is closing after being open since 1999. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
Jack’s Brewing Firm co-owner Brian Sparling behind the bar in Fremont, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The enterprise is closing after being open since 1999. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
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Jack’s Brewing Firm co-owner Tricia Sparling talks with prospects on the restaurant in Fremont, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The enterprise is closing after being open since 1999. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
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The Sparlings mentioned rising working prices, declining gross sales and main repairs ran their effectively dry, wiping out Jack’s future. The kitchen’s walk-in fridge, gasoline ranges and ovens, sinks and plumbing fixtures, are all in disrepair, Tricia mentioned, amongst an extended listing of different issues.
“It’s not like a GoFundMe would fix this stuff. It’s beyond what the GoFundMe would do,” Tricia mentioned. “There’s no wiggle room. Anything I had to give to this place is gone.”
By now, Tricia estimates the couple has spent over $300,000 on infrastructure repairs and upgrades, together with a serious overhaul of the kitchen within the final 4 years. Moreover, they mentioned the state’s minimal wage will increase ran up working prices for his or her workers of about 20, a few of whom have labored there for over 20 years.
As a final blow to their backside line, the couple mentioned they had been just lately served a lawsuit over alleged noncompliance with incapacity entry to the restaurant. The couple struck a deal, and the lawsuit was dropped, Tricia mentioned.
“All of those things contributed to making this industry hard, and people are just drinking less,” Tricia mentioned. “I just keep crying about it. I’m really upset. I’m going to miss everybody.”
The pair mentioned they’d no prior restaurant expertise once they first reopened the bar six months after they bought married in 2021. However with greater than 4 years of expertise behind them now, they mentioned they’ve discovered a treasure trove of classes within the enterprise.
“We really wanted to get involved in a restaurant in our community because we really wanted to keep jobs in our community, help our community and keep our prices competitive so we could offer a place for families to go out,” Tricia mentioned.
Tricia mentioned she fondly remembers studying the best way to file payroll, and preserve the monetary books — one thing she’d by no means accomplished earlier than proudly owning a bar. She mentioned she instantly discovered her rhythm because the administrator and monetary lead of the institution, whereas Brian shortly took to the logistics and operations administration.
Brian did the grocery buying each week for the final 4 years — besides as soon as when he bought sick with COVID, and, a lot to Tricia’s discontent, she dealt with it.
He supplied some recommendation for any potential restaurant homeowners trying to get into the enterprise.
“We had a lot of help along the way, and a lot of characters in the cast here, so that really does make it easier,” Brian mentioned. “Don’t just read books. Talk to people, make sure everything is working the way you’d expect it to.”
Jack’s can be open till New Yr’s Eve for the bar’s final hurrah, after which the couple hopes one other devoted proprietor will finally are available in to reopen the spot once more for the neighborhood.
“We will stay open until the beer runs out,” Brian mentioned.
