Gen Z, millennials seek sober nightlife on Peninsula

The 40-year-old founder opened the business about six months ago and has curated a menu of pre-made mocktails — ranging from alcohol-free negronis to spritzes — with plans to expand the space in the near future. 

Feig’s venture was largely inspired as a result of his own personal health reasons. With a surge in consumption during the pandemic, he started becoming more aware of the most recent research indicating alcohol’s detrimental health impacts.  

“In the health world, there is definitely more coming out about how no amount of alcohol is good for you, which is different from what you heard a few years ago, that a glass of red wine here and there is healthy,” he said. “I cut way back, and it made me realize there are not really places for folks to go when they don’t want to drink, especially in the evening.”

Opening a bar and making money from alcohol would also mean restricting the types of patrons who could visit, which Feig said he is opposed to. Drinking-age customers don’t seem to mind the current set-up.

“We do see a lot of younger people in the evenings, after work and closer to closing time … just hanging out and talking for hours,” Feig said. 

Studies, including a 2023 Gallup analysis, have shown that younger age groups, including 18- to 34-year-olds, are drinking less than previous generations. More research has also highlighted the adverse health impacts of alcohol consumption. The recent U.S. surgeon general advisory noted that consuming alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity, increasing risk for seven types of cancer. About 16% of all breast cancer cases are attributable to alcohol, according to the notice. 

Even sobriety-focused messages have become more prevalent on social media, such as the sober curious movement, Sober October or Dry January. Non-alcoholic beer sales grew about 29% between 2023 and 2024, a Beverage Industry report showed. And Millennials accounted for 45% of non-alcoholic beverage consumers in 2023, with Gen Z individuals of legal drinking age comprising 17% of demand, according to data from industry data intelligence firm IWSR.

But for 22-year-old Trevor Moore, the decision to significantly cut back on drinking is more for mental health reasons, rather than physical. The San Mateo resident has been sober for a few months and regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. And with the loss of most of his social circle, who continue to drink regularly, it’s been hard to find activities that are neither solitary nor alcohol-based. 

“There is too much temptation going to bars,” he said. “I wish there were more sober events for people in recovery … it can get lonely.”

Rory Duran, a 25-year-old San Mateo resident, doesn’t attend AA meetings but is mostly sober. She has tried with limited success to find more social activities not involving alcohol. Most of the friends she made while studying at San Francisco State University drank, and she didn’t like the decisions she and others made when consuming alcohol. A family history of alcoholism was also a factor in her decision to cut back. While she now has a place to live and a job in sales, it's been a long road securing a stable income and housing.

“It’s tricky because … I have to be more selective about making friends because I don’t have as much time now,” Duran said. “I like to have friends where it’s not about [alcohol].”

As sobriety motivated by physical health increases, the demand for N/A options has increased, and such individuals might be just as, or even more, loud about pushing for sober spaces than those recovering from addiction.

“People who struggle with alcohol are not as open to tell you about it,” Duran said. 

Feig has been approached by sobriety-focused groups, who are often interested in hosting meetings or activities at The Yard. He added that alcohol-free spaces are starting to pick up on the Peninsula, though it’s still in the early stages. 

“Hopefully in a few years, there will be even more demand,” he said. 

The board game cafe Plucky’s opened in Burlingame last year and was a highly-anticipated establishment for many patrons who previously traveled to San Francisco to socialize and play games. 

“Right after college, I thought that going out to bars was the way to meet people and date,” said 29-year-old Melissa Coyne, a frequent Plucky’s customer. “I don’t really like the taste of alcohol … and I don't like going to bars. I find them too loud, and I don't really understand the idea of going to a bar to meet people.”

While the establishment serves beer in addition to non-alcoholic drinks, 30-year-old Plucky’s customer Travis Schmauss said most people don’t drink there. Customers are generally more interested in playing games and socializing with other players, despite the fact that the majority are in their 20s and 30s, he said. 

Even after it closes around 10 p.m. on weekend nights, Schmauss hasn’t seen anyone wandering across the street to the Irish pub after.

“There isn’t a lot of overlap in the crowds,” Schmauss said. 

Having a place like Plucky’s to socialize and meet new people is unique, he said. The 30-year-old Burlingame resident moved to the Bay Area a couple years ago, and only recently discovered that playing board games could be a great way to socialize and play with new and old friends.

“I didn’t realize that [board games] could be the nexus of one’s social life. Usually, you go to someone’s house as a regular group, and if you didn’t have that group you were out of luck,” he said. “Where I lived before … that’s what the scene was like. There was nowhere you could seek that out.”

alyse@smdailyjournal.com

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