Oakland’s ‘party restaurant’ reinvents itself as affordable, family-oriented dining

Always up late, fueled by slugs of wine and the shimmer of disco balls. Effortlessly stylish — possibly even envy-inducing. Broke, but still knows how to have an outrageously good time.

Like the protagonist of an early 2000s college rom-com, Daytrip, the now-closed fermentation-forward “party restaurant” on Oakland’s Telegraph Avenue, embodied this vibe. 

This era is now bygone as owners Finn Stern and Stella Dennig pulled the plug in December, citing an unsustainable business model that left the restaurant strapped for cash. But now, the couple is gearing up to unveil a new concept debuting May 7 in the same space: Daytrip Counter, a quasi-fine casual, family-oriented restaurant dishing out “flavor maximalism” by way of juicy spit-roasted chicken, salads, sandwiches and sides. 

“Closing Daytrip was really sad and at the same time kind of welcomed,” Stern said. “As soon as we closed, I think we both saw that we were left with relief, mainly because we had something really exciting that we were cooking up. We’re psyched for this.”

Finn Stern (pictured) and partner Stella Dennig have revamped Daytrip to be more of a family-friendly neighborhood restaurant at a more affordable price point. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez

While whiffs of Daytrip’s wild child days remain — a few disco balls still glitter about the space — the new concept aims to deliver “an awesome place to go often and take kids and have it be loud, family-oriented and affordable.”

Affordable is a key word here. 

“The cost really ran away from us at Daytrip,” said Stern. “We’re doing everything we can, starting from a systems level at every point, to make this a good business.”

Doing so required a refreshed approach. To start, it meant shifting from a table service to a counter service model and significantly paring back the number of staff, though Stern emphasized that he and Dennig are staying committed to paying employees a living wage.

“We want take-home pay to be the same, if not more at this model,” he said. “We just had too many people working [at Daytrip] for the business to ever, ever make money.”

It also required a menu overhaul, leaving the prep-intensive, multi-ingredient Daytrip menu behind for one that revolves around a few affordable core staples.

“Of all the proteins out there, we can buy top-quality chicken for a price that stays relatively constant,” Stern said. “High-quality beef is going to be super expensive for the consumer, or fish. And so we could buy the type of chicken that we want to buy as a restaurant, and stand behind our morals and our values, and still have a really cool product.” 

Daytrip Counter’s menu is centered on rotisserie chicken, which is brined in a vinegar-based solution overnight, air dried and slow roasted before going into the broiler to render a golden, crispy skin. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez

Whole and half spit-roasted chickens will be available for purchase, on their own and in combo meals with fries, salad and dessert. The birds are brined in a vinegar-based solution overnight, air dried and slow roasted before going into the broiler to render a golden, crispy skin. The chicken breasts are injected with a French beurre monté, a sauce typically made from butter and wine, and then smothered in a spice blend that is “maximalist in character.” Stern and Dennig put their own spin on the beurre monté, using emulsified chicken stock instead of wine to double down on juicy, chicken-y goodness. 

“I self-indulgently have been calling our food philosophy as kind of an update to California cuisine, which I think has gotten a tad bit stale over the years,” Stern said. “California cuisine is so beautiful in that it’s an homage to the land, the breadbasket that we live in, and yet that’s been represented through subtlety, generally French and Italian cuisine. I don’t think we’re the only people doing this, but it’s been fun to be part of a wave of California cuisine that’s embracing maximalism and not shying away from the cooking behind cooking.”

The Daytrip Counter menu includes fries, and a variety of salads influenced by Stern’s growing interest in eating more healthily. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez

Salads, in part thanks to Stern’s growing appetite for healthier fare, also play a leading role at Daytrip Counter. The Last Salad ($13) tosses crispy romaine and kale, green beans, pickled onions, shredded carrots, cilantro, shallot granola with a Red Boat vinaigrette; the Mediterranean ($13) combines red cabbage, sheep’s milk feta, gigante beans, za’atar and castelvetrano olives drizzled in a lemon tahini vinaigrette.  

“Transitioning into my thirties and being a young parent, it’s like, I just want to eat healthier. And that’s certainly reflected in the menu,” he said. 

Unlike its predecessor, Daytrip Counter will offer delivery and takeout options, but dine-in will also be available seven days a week for lunch and dinner. With a fresh, poppy-golden paint job, sitting in the space feels like diving headfirst into a pot of sun-drenched honey, even on a partly cloudy day.

Stern said he and Dennig are also eyeing to expand the Daytrip Counter brand in the near future. 

“We’re really trying to build a business model where this is not the only Daytrip Counter. Hopefully, this is the first of many,” he said. “We just want to be available to more people.

I think that was our biggest pain point at Daytrip. It had to do with our space, but it also had to do with pricing. We weren’t the most accessibly priced restaurant, even though we really wanted to open a neighborhood restaurant. So I’m excited to hit a lot of people with this food.”

He and Dennig designed Daytrip as a date night hotspot when they were in their twenties. Now, as young thirty-something parents, they are ready to usher Daytrip into its grown-up era.  

“Daytrip was like a dimly lit hotspot to whisper with your partner or first date. We’re really going for comfy golden hour vibes, just calming through the chaos,” he said. 

He paused, then added, “and, you know, hopefully there’s still some hot dates here.”