Craft beer hall Post No Bills plans to close both its Carmel Barnyard and Sand City locations later this year.

Rising operating costs, a lack of capital, the Covid-19 pandemic, debt and loss of customers are all contributing factors to why Post No Bills Craft Beer House decided to close both its Carmel Barnyard and Sand City locations. 

“I’m really disappointed we couldn’t keep them open,” says owner Kye Ricks, acknowledging the business was struggling for “awhile.”

According to Ricks, the Covid-19 pandemic began the struggles. Since then, the business was not able to recover and become profitable again. Debt from a Covid-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and a Small Business Association loan to open the Carmel Barnyard location created a perfect storm where Ricks was not able to sell the business because of lack of capital.

“We looked into selling,” Ricks says, but the debts were too high so he made the decision to close both. “It’s the same reason that most businesses close.”

Both beer halls faced operational challenges too. The Sand City location does not serve any food, which means only people ages 21 and over are allowed inside. Ricks says that since opening in 2011, several regulars have grown older and started families but weren’t allowed to bring their kids with them.

Ricks began working at the Sand City location as a bartender in 2013, then was promoted to general manager before buying the business in March 2017. He says that opening the Carmel location was part of his strategy to recapture his customers who have families. 

“That was the cool thing about Carmel: we anticipated getting a separate group of customers,” Ricks says.

The Carmel Barnyard location serves food, so families with children under age 21 are allowed in. But opening the location was not easy. According to Ricks, it took him a year to get a building permit from the County of Monterey and then another year for renovations, during which time he was still paying almost $4,000 per month in rent. The Barnyard location finally opened Aug. 3, 2023, but he says there were several surprise costs, including repairing a rotted-out kitchen floor and a community area maintenance (CAM) fee for the location. 

“In Sand City, the CAM is $500 per month, but the Carmel Barnyard has a variant amount,” he says. Ricks explains that this fee was $2,000, but doubled in 2024 after they had been open for about half a year.

Ricks explains that the finances between the Barnyard location and the Sand City location were separate, and wants people to know that Carmel wasn’t the reason that they decided to close.

“Both were independently unable to turn profits,” he says.

He expected Sand City to remain strong, but noticed less and less younger patrons there. “I feel like people are drinking less, which is great for people’s health,” he says.

Despite his disappointment, Ricks is excited for a new role as general manager of the Swift Car Wash in the Carmel Rancho shopping center. The move for him is bittersweet, but he’s glad to be stepping away from the stress of the food and beverage industry.

“Our customers loved the places. It’s really sad,” he says. “I felt like a steward.”

The Carmel Barnyard location plans to close at the end of March. The Sand City location’s lease is up on May 31, and will plan to close then.