Cancer survivor bringing gastropub to Henderson mall

Fifteen months ago, Wolfgang Hauck didn’t know if he would live or die.

Today, the 59-year-old cancer survivor and onetime bartender turned entrepreneur is bringing a hot new national franchise known as a gastropub to Las Vegas in September.

World of Beer, a rapidly growing Florida-based pub, restaurant and sports bar chain known for its large selection of craft beers, is entering the Nevada market and will open at the Galleria at Sunset in Henderson. Construction is expected to start next week, and more of the bar and restaurant joints that serve high-end beer could be in the offing beyond the mall opening, Hauck said.

The Tampa-based chain, which launched in 2007, by early next week when one opens in Augusta, Georgia, will have 80 taverns nationwide. It could reach 100 by the end of the year, Hauck said.

World of Beer in Las Vegas will carry more than 500 brands in bottles and 50 beers on tap on a rotating basis, Hauck said. It has access to 27,000 different craft beers to draw from and has exclusive deals with brewers across the country, he added.

“It’s part of a trend now,” said Hauck who once served as an operating managing partner for two Las Vegas restaurants. “Craft beer is growing, and Las Vegas is underserved by the craft beer trend. I think it’s a growing business.”

It will carry popular craft beers of Nevada brewers as well as those from the West Coast, Southwest and Mountain States. That will make the Las Vegas tavern a destination for World of Beer customers from the East Coast and Midwest since more than 400,000 beer aficionados are part of its loyalty program, Hauck said.

Hauck, whose restaurant and bar will employ 50 people, said he considered the Strip and other locales before deciding on Henderson at the Galleria mall. Strip rents are expensive while Henderson is an underserved craft beer market.

World of Beer will occupy 5,000 square feet on the second level between Larsen’s Grill and Gen Korean BBQ, and it will have a 1,200-square-foot outdoor patio. Those two restaurants opened last summer as part of a $25.5 million expansion by mall owners Forest City Enterprises, which added 30,000 square feet on two levels on the south side of the mall. BRAVO! Italiana Cucina occupies a space on the lower level of the expansion.

The original plan called for six restaurants, four on the upper level and two on the lower level, but Larsen’s and Gen Korean BBQ, an all-your-can-eat buffet, took additional space, leaving room for only one other that’s being taken by World of Beer, said Kevin Budny, the mall’s general manager.

Before the addition, the Galleria, which opened in 1996, featured only two full-service restaurants in Red Robin and Chevys Fresh Mex. Forest City responded to customer requests to add more options and make the mall even more of a destination, and the restaurant additions have brought in more patrons, said Kevin Budny, the mall’s general manager.

A onetime head bartender in his native New York City at the St. Regis New York hotel, Hauck is excited about his pub’s opening in the fall. He said he never thought he would be in this position 15 months ago when he went in for a routine exam and was immediately diagnosed with kidney cancer and underwent surgery three days later.

“I did not believe it until they wheeled me into the operating room,” said Hauck whose dad died when he was 17. “I was scared. It makes you realize how short life is. It’s in remission and all is good, and that’s why I came back to Vegas. I just can’t sit around. I have to go to work. I like people and talking with them and seeing them have fun. I like to make them happy.”

Hauck will do so by returning to his bartender roots on the entrepreneurial side. He said he owned a small hotel, Irish pub and Einstein Bros. Bagels in South Florida when he saw the World of Beer concept for the first time in 2009. The brand had just launched and wasn’t offering franchises, but he said he knew that as the company matured it would offer him an opportunity.

“It was always on my mind, but back then it was in its infancy,” Hauck said. “Fast forward, I was cured of cancer and called these guys and said I was interested in Vegas.”

Hauck, who has since sold the bagel shop, pub and hotel, said he made more than six figures a year as a bartender – a profession of 20 years — and with his degree from NYU in finance he earned at age 35, he invested well to finance his business ventures.

Most World of Beer taverns are company owned, but there are more than 30 operated by franchisees. Company officials said an initial investment requires $900,000 to $1.2 million.

Besides the restaurant expansion that will now include World of Beer, other improvements have also made the mall more of a destination. Forest City relocated the children’s play area that’s now 600 square feet. The restaurant expansion included a 12,000 square-foot outdoor plaza for events.

“We had some live music and wine tasting, and that will continue down the road,” Budny said. “We’re looking to expand that program into the summer and fall.”

Budny wouldn’t disclose any numbers for the retail portion of the mall but said there’s only a few spaces available.

A Gap Kids store closed in January as part of a companywide pullback, and that will be filled in July by A’gaci, a national clothing retailer and footwear store. Shoe Palace, a national footwear retailer, will open in June, he said.

Those signed leases are a good sign for the Galleria and show momentum, Budny said.

“We’ve seen more traffic, especially during the week,” Budny said. “Saturday has been brisk, and we had a good Easter, and we’re already looking forward to back-to-school in August. I would say we’re bouncing back (from the recession). We’re not where we were prior to 2006-2007, but the numbers are moving in the right direction.”