![\"A](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/jljMzGaj8a096-1UxAI9pbBVCGQ8V2ENOQW_ZM5Er_K8bbrlTY6G24oVAqh-zXu9S1qygKNCyMEw1141-h492web.jpg\")
\u201cWe\u2019re working around the clock,\u201d said Huffman, 39. \u201cI probably work in my sleep. We\u2019re trying to turn it around pretty quick.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rabbit Hole, which Huffman described as a \u201ccommunity-driven\u201d business, was named after the rabbits that apparently inhabited the Normal Heights area before it was developed.<\/p>\n
The eatery, located at 3377 Adams Ave., will be similar to other local restaurants owned by Huffman, including Wonderland in Ocean Beach and Downtown\u2019s Bootlegger.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll make sure it\u2019s staffed locally, food is grown locally and people who live in the area are treated like they are gold,\u201d Huffman said. \u201cWe\u2019re selling an experience and we\u2019re going to sell it for a good value.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 3,900-square-feet space that the three men have invested more than $1 million in will be complete with historic photos, one-of-a-kind murals by Sean Dietrich and 40 to 45 employees.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re excited about Adams Avenue,\u201d Huffman said. \u201cI think the area needs a spot with good food that can mix entertainment. There are only a few spots that people really gravitate too. We want to enhance the area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Huffman said the comfort-food-themed-menu items will include build-your-own mac-n-cheese, sloppy joes, overstuffed sandwiches and salad bowls with quinoa. He also plans to offer local craft beers to cater to San Diego\u2019s obsession with brews.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be comfort food with a twist,\u201d Huffman said. \u201cAnything you can find at your grandma\u2019s house, you can find here.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the new restaurant came with its challenges.<\/p>\n
In fact, as of Sept. 17, 41-year-old Schiffman \u2014 who was originally sought by the Heights Tavern owners to offer consulting services \u2014 said the sale was still in escrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy biggest challenge was working out the final deal points for the purchase,\u201d Schiffman said. \u201cDue to the issues within the current ownership of Heights Tavern it made it a challenge at times to get them all to agree.\u201d<\/p>\n
Huber, 30, concurred.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you buy a bar or restaurant, you aren’t just buying property. You are buying someone’s dream and you have to be sensitive to that while also making sound business decisions,\u201d Huber said. \u201cIt’s tough.\u201d<\/p>\n Fulfilling the wants of the community was also a challenge, said Huffman. He was unexpectedly overwhelmed when he solicited feedback from residents through a local blog.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thread ended up going viral,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople expect a lot from us because they take a lot of pride in this area. We can\u2019t just be some place that opens the door. Rabbit Hole requires a little more love and attention but that\u2019s been a good challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the obstacles, the three men agreed Normal Heights is a community they wanted to be a member of.<\/p>\n \u201cI can’t think of any reason not to invest in Normal Heights,\u201d Huber said. \u201cNormal Heights is such a great area and is still a bit of a hidden gem from the rest of San Diego. The mix of cultures, the laid back vibe, the artistic glow that touches every corner of town, the small-town feel while only miles from the heart of Downtown, and then there is the venue itself.\u201d<\/p>\n But Huffman, who works around the clock at the venue itself, said he just wants the community to know it\u2019s a homegrown effort to open The Rabbit Hole.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re really grassroots,\u201d Huffman said. \u201cWe\u2019re not some corporation opening a restaurant. We\u2019re just a couple of guys who have been in the business and we\u2019re excited to be in Normal Heights.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information about The Rabbit Hole, visit its Facebook Page at Facebook.com\/rabbitholesd.<\/p>\n \u2014Hoa Quach is a writer in San Diego. Contact her at hoawrites.com.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Hoa Quach<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":247775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"The Rabbit Hole to open in time for Adams Street Fair","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11550,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-top-stories","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Mural](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/qMWMpdRsZ5d3_xIqTMjuZSpU69iRpwmK1nz7hoV7JE8m_U-E4ey-qq8MtXSTT9zUxPD_barz2JAw1141-h492webtopstory.jpg\")