Family-Friendly Bar and Eatery Employs High-Tech Tabletop Call Buttons | Eater San Diego

"Opening this Thursday in the Allied Gardens/Del Cerro neighborhood, the Cohns' new Del’s Hideout marks their 23rd San Diego–area restaurant and pairs fast-casual counter service with a table-mounted three-button system that lets me call for the check, summon a smartwatch-wearing server, or request another round from bar staff — technology the group may expand to other eateries if guests respond positively. The 5,400-square-foot, Phillippe Beltran–designed indoor/outdoor playhouse caters to families with an activity zone for kids featuring iPads and retro arcade games while offering adults dozens of TVs and a full bar with 36 beers on tap, 20 wines by the glass, and a large bourbon selection curated by Maurice DiMarino; cocktails include a Rootbeer Manhattan served in a keepsake flask and an Old Fashioned made with bacon fat–washed bourbon. Executive chef Tim Eylens brings his smoked-meat skills to a menu of Texas-style barbecue (brisket, pork shoulder, ribs), rotisserie chicken, prime rib, salads, grain bowls, sandwiches and burgers, plus plates like blackened local fish with fingerling potato hash and corn relish and barbecue pork belly with cabbage-apple slaw and house pickles; weekend brunch features giant cinnamon rolls, fresh biscuits with gravy and eggs, and French toast with sausage and bourbon-maple syrup." - Candice Woo