Prepare for the return of tea and cucumber sandwiches as The Wicked Wolf brings back its tea service this coming week. Tea service will now be offered Friday through Sunday 10AM to 4:00PM, with cocktail service every day beginning at 5PM.
“The cost of supporting a startup caught up with us pretty quickly,” said owner Thea Mercouffer. “And, after a particularly slow month, I buckled at the weight of it. And announced we would close. But the spirited support from those who became regulars and those who expressed sadness led us to reconsider. Our staff has been struggling to find work elsewhere, and I was filled with too much sadness to let a good thing go before it had a real chance at thriving. So we reversed our decision.”
The weight of small businesses like Wicked Wolf offering daytime services like tea.
In a particularly frank conversation I had with ISM Brewing owner Ian McCall, I told him to “please not burn out” with the multiple events he was doing each and every week. It came from an honest place of concern—events are time-consuming, costly, and exhausting—but his response was just as honest in concern: “We can’t. Long gone are the days when people just come in for a pint. They want an experience as well. And we have to provide that.
I begin with this because his sentiment is echoed widely across small businesses in hospitality—with The Wicked Wolf being no exception.
“We have a beautiful space, it pained me to see it unused during the day,” Thea said. “I imagined it teaming with people doing work, chatting with friends, or hosting meetings. So we created a specialized daytime program.”
That program, like Ian pointed out, gave people a different reason to visit the Wolf. And, of course, made them feel special beyond just ordering a drink at the bar. They featured tea, coffee and matcha drinks. Locally-sourced pastries and Wolf-made treats like chocolate chip banana muffins and Mexican chocolate chia pudding. Over time, their tea service became a hit, with “several returning guests who love sporting their fancy hats and dresses” in the words of Thea.
Photos by Thea Mercouffer.
So what, exactly, is Tea Time Wolf?
It seamlessly converts The Wicked Wolf into a 21-and-over-only, daytime tea house and café. Think of the maturity of a bar but the ability to order some coffee or tea while working or simply unwinding.
Playing with the idea of “the third place”—a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg that refers to the social space outside work and home that is essential for healthy mindsets—is an expansion of what The Wicked Wolf has always embraced. And that is that a bar can be more than a bar. It can be a space that caters to all types of adults, including those who don’t drink.
So what will be offered during these tea house hours at The Wicked Wolf?
Tea Time Wolf’s menu will feature an array of pretty rad offerings, from specialty teas from around the globe to coffee to chai and matcha to house-made mocktails. And yes, a small offering of foods will be on hand, including fresh soups and salads, artisanal pastries, and sandwiches.
As always, don’t forget the cocktails and mocktails.
Here are some of the newer cocktails being offered at The Wicked Wolf.
Carajillo: Espresso | Licor 43 | Tequila
Sugar Plum: Jasmine tea | Arette Blanco Tequila | Jelinek Plum Liqueur | Salers Gentian | Pumplemousse | Orchid soda water
Ladies Who Lunch: Blueberry tea | Pau Vodka | St. Elder | Champagne | Simple syrup | Paychaud’s
The Hero’s Journey: An espresso shot served with a layered drink, meant to be sipped slowly, in tandem) – Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur | Blue Curaçao | Nocino | heavy cream (contains nuts)
Peach Coconut Matcha: Ceremonial Matcha | Peach syrup | Coconut milk
The Wicked Wolf is lcoated at 2332 Pacific Ave
