Bars, breweries bring business for Fort Bragg area veterans

Sep. 24--For local veterans, bars and breweries have brought business in their lives after the military, while also allowing them to keep a connection to those who are still in the service.

From a bar and arcade concept, to a local brewery and tap room and a business that's been featured on a television show, the veterans said they're trying to fill voids in the area that they noticed while in the military.

Stop_Button Bar + Arcade

The idea to create a gaming-inspired venue with custom drinks came about for Zack Crane and Chris Humann while they were still in the Army.

Humann, originally from Texas, and Crane, originally from Florida, crossed paths while serving with the 50th Signal Brigade at Fort Bragg.

Humann was in from 2011 to 2017, and Crane served from 2008 to 2017.

"I did about 10 years here, and I spent the whole time at Bragg," Crane said. "He moved around. He went to Germany and all these places. So he knew that other posts had cool stuff to do. So literally that's where we were talking, and I was like, this business would be cool in this town. We have nothing else to do."

Humann said, "Fort Bragg was lacking, other than strip clubs and bars."

Crane drew pictures on a white board to illustrate what he wanted the bar and player cells, with PlayStation 4's and Xbox Ones, to look like.

The idea was to create a family-friendly environment that was also OK for the young, single soldiers.

"And they can get into trouble if you don't let them do stuff," Crane said.

After contemplating going back to Texas for an information and technology career after the military, Humann latched onto the combined bar and arcade concept that also has space for competitive gaming.

"Mastermind over here came up with something like this better than (the chain arcades)," Humann said of Crane.

Stop_Button Bar + Arcade was born in February 2017.

"He was like, yeah, and had a bunch of money saved ... He ended up moving in with me afterwards so we could save rent money," Crane said.

And saving money is something the pair aims to pass along to families and young soldiers.

"For the price of a small coke at a movie theater, you can play all day," Humann said.

With the $5 military discount, players are provided unlimited access to all of the business' games, which range from pinball-style machines, arcade games such as "Pacman" and "Donkey Kong" or imported Japanese games like "Jubeat," and don't require coins or tokens.

"We like to try to keep something for everyone, literally all ages," Crane said. "And that's also why we keep a pool table and an air hockey table because some people might not want to play video games."

There's "Fortnite," electronic sports and console game areas, too.

In the midst of the whirling arcade lights are two bars.

"We do specials, and we do a lot of like game- themed drinks, and we switch them up can see infinity stones," Crane said. "So depending on whatever pop culture is for the time, maybe we do like a quick like for 'Stranger Things' or 'Power Rangers."

And for patrons who don't want the mixed drinks, Crane said there's kegs with local, craft beer or traditional staples.

"We stay up to date on the alcohol and video games," he said.

The bar area is where customers can find the Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 XBox, controllers and games like "Call of Duty," said Jordan Slaymaker, Stop_Button's bar manager who is also former military after eights years of service.

Players can often find the new games to test out at the business to determine if it's something that want in their own collection.

"This was my favorite spot to hang out before I started working here," Slaymaker said.

Between the games and drinks, customers might also spot murals with some of the games' characters and an artist wall.

"I'm an artist. I do all this stuff around. So I'm like, "Hey, I like artists, and I want you to show your work," Crane said.

From kids, parents, parents of soldiers to soldiers, Crane and Humann said there's a little bit of everything for everyone.

"Friendships have been made here, for sure," Humann said.

Dirtbag Ales Brewery & Taproom

Originally from Florida, Vernardo "Tito" Simmons-Valenzuela developed a palate for craft beer in his younger days.

After joining the military in 2005 with an interest in the medical field, Fort Bragg was his first duty station, and he was assigned to the 44th Medical Brigade in 2006.

After a deployment and being sent to Savannah, Georgia, in 2009, he met his wife, a student at Methodist University who is from the same area of Florida.

Simmons-Valenzuela worked for Womack Army Medical Center from 2010 to 2012 and with a unit under the 44th Medical Brigade from 2012 to August 2013, when he transitioned to the Reserves.

By the time he transitioned out of the Army, his wife had found a local job in her field.

Between the different unit assignments, Simmons-Valenzuela started home brewing in 2010 to the point of making about 20 to 40 gallons a month and bringing beers to friends' weddings or starting his own Octoberfest with friends.

"The idea was born from that, and I was like, 'Well, why don't you start a brewery?'" he said.

He had met one of his partners, Eric Whealton, while working at Womack Army Medical Center, and would brew with Whealton between their two-days-on and three-days-off shifts.

Their third partner, Jerry Hall, also a veteran, would come on board later.

Simmons-Valenzuela started contract brewing in August 2013 and purchased equipment to open Dirtbag Ales at its original site off Legion Road by September 2014.

By January 2016, the tap room opened, and Simmons-Valenzuela realized they needed more space.

In 2017, he and his partners found their current location off Corporation Drive between Fayetteville and Hope Mills.

The location allows soldiers and their families to stay local and not have to drive to the Raleigh-Durham area, Simmons-Valenzuela said.

The six-acre spot features a kid park, dog park, covered pavilion, patio, restaurant, soccer field, more parking spaces and a weekend farmers' market that runs each Sunday through November.

Patrons can find events such dog adoptions, a Pride picnic, monthly drag brunch or upcoming Heroes Homecoming chili cookoff and motorcycle run coming up for Veterans Day.

Starting Thursday, Octoberfest kicks off with 20 beers on tap, including ciders.

The blood orange kolsch is the lightest offering, and the brews range from intermediate honey malt pale ale, Belgium beers, to hops, maltier beers, a cold-brew mocha porter, sours and fruit-infused beers.

And clients can purchase six-packs of the beers and growler jugs to take home.

22 Klicks

Todd Harr grew up in a military family -- his father retired from the Air Force, his uncle was in the Marine Corps, his stepfather was in the Navy and his grandfather was an Army veteran of World War II.

By 1990, when he graduated from high school in Michigan, the Gulf War had started.

"Some of the coolest people I knew were in the Marines, and I was ready to go kick Saddam Hussein's butt," Harr said.

After nine years of enlistment, Harr found work as a defense contractor in the Fayetteville area and now works in the intelligence field at Fort Bragg, while balancing his own business.

About 11 years ago, he decided to open a local bar and restaurant.

"I had no clue," Harr said. "I thought it'd be fun, and after six months, I realized it was a real business."

After the business hit its four-year mark, he sent an email to producers for the television show "Bar Rescue" on Spike TV.

Nine months later, Harr was ready to close the doors of the business when one of the casting directors called.

His business's episode aired in 2013, and Harr credits the show for the upswing in business ever since.

The show created drinks he said 22 Klicks still sells to this day, and bourbons and Irish whiskeys are also popular, along with the draft and bottle beer selections.

"And we always look out for our boys and girls who wear the uniform, because we don't want to see anyone make a decision where one night of fun reduces a rank," Harr said.

The majority of the clientele is active duty, veterans or those who support the military, and Harr said all walks of life are welcome.

"We have good, affordable scratchmade food, and there's really something for everybody," he said.

With military-themed decor that includes a framed Reserve parachute, patrons can find a full menu, which includes burgers and wings, and 22 Klicks' keeping its kitchen open until closing.

"We are that place that's a friendly, safe environment," Harr said.

And when he's not working on Fort Bragg or at the bar, Harr can be found sponsoring the Fayetteville Marksmen hockey team or unit softball teams.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

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