New food hall and brewery opens in emerging film district
By Maggie Grainger | Star News correspondent
It’s curtains up for The Q — the highly anticipated food hall and brewery in Hollywood.
Northeast Portland-based developers Chad and Dana Rennaker bought the space — formerly Pono Brewing and the site of the original Laurelwood Brewing Co. — in April 2024. They modeled The Q after their Lents venture, The Zed, which houses the popular Zoiglhaus Brewing Co. and various food pods.
“One of the reasons why we're so attracted to this market hall model is because it creates a lot of diverse energy,” said Chad Rennaker. “We were really blown away at how successful it's been out in Lents in terms of bringing the community there.”
The food hall includes eight restaurant pods as well as Spotlight Brewing Company. The development is part of the vibrant film district emerging in the Hollywood District. Construction on the new Movie Madness location is underway next door, progress on the Hollywood Hub continues at 42nd and Halsey and a separate food pod is planning to open at 41st and NE Broadway later this year.
The Q includes 28 individual office suits on the second floor. The Hollywood Theatre already has an office there as well as several other film- and creativity-oriented businesses.
Chad Rennaker said the building renovation was complex because it required infrastructure to support both restaurants and office space.
“The biggest challenge by far was making nine different restaurants in one space and getting all the mechanics up to the roof,” Rennaker said.
Market hall features global flavors
Food options at The Q span the globe, from Thai, Indian, Turkish and Mediterranean to El Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Venezuelan and barbecue. Chad Rennaker said the market hall approach appeals to people because they don’t have to overthink dinner plans, since there are usually food choices for everyone.
The food pods are in addition to Spotlight, the brewery now operating in the space formerly occupied by Pono and Laurelwood.
“Because of our design we were able to take those walls down and the brewery is really open and visible from three sides now,” Chad Rennaker said.
The developers said they chose the name Spotlight because it’s a movie-focused connection to the Hollywood Theatre across the street. The name is also about shining a spotlight on giving back to the community through beer collaborations.They say they hope to collaborate with a different nonprofit quarterly in addition to being a safe space for the community.
“One of the main concepts of the brewery is to do collaborations with rotating nonprofit organizations. Our first collaboration and relationship is with the Humane Society and that's our Puppy Pilsner,” Chad Rennaker said.
The opening of The Q is a homecoming of sorts for the couple. The Rennakers said they used to visit the building 35 years ago with their kids when it was Laurelwood. They recalled how it was a family-friendly scene and made them feel connected to the community.
“We're neighborhood people, so that's what I'm most excited about,” said Dana Rennaker. “It’s near and dear to our hearts.”
Chad Rennaker said they hope the renovation brings in a new generation of customers who can make their own memories at The Q.
“We want this to feel like, ‘oh, this is Hollywood's place.’ The ideal measure of success is if the community just thinks like that's their place to go, and they kind of forget that somebody even owns it.”
