San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Event space, dispensary rooted in Temescal
by the city of Oakland, though construction on Root'd didn't begin in earnest until early 2021. First the pair had to navigate the often-sluggish bureaucracy to get their license fully approved by the city and state. They also had to find the right capital partner — one who would support Chung and McCullough's desire to run the show.
“We wanted to be owner-operators,” Chung explained. “A lot of people want to just pay (equity license holders) to sit in the back while they take care of everything. But McKinney Capital, out of San Diego, trusted our background and our experience. They let us run with it.”
The next step was to find a location. Oakland's Temescal neighborhood, it turns out, was the perfect fit.
“We got very lucky,” Chung said, “because Temescal is one of the best neighborhoods in Oakland, in my opinion. It has tons of community involvement, and the food and dining here are amazing. You really couldn't ask for a better place. The neighborhood fit our vision just as much as our vision fit the neighborhood. There's a very good synergy there.”
Building on everything they'd learned at Harborside, Chung and McCullough's vision for Root'd pairs quality cannabis with friendly service, a safe place to consume and one-of-kind events.
On the dispensary side, customers can find large televisions displaying product menus, complimentary notepads and pens, roving budtenders who come to you, and prominent display space reserved for local, equity and women-owned brands. The dispensary half of Root'd, which opened in March, also offers more than 100 strains of cannabis, from top shelf to sun grown, rotated weekly.
Things get a bit more cosmic on the consumption side. “The dispensary is more classic, and then there's the Alice in Wonderland, trippy side,” Chung said.
Still very much a work in progress, the plans for this half of Root'd include an event space decked out with plush couches, a giant LED screen and a full bar of cannabis drinks, edibles and other noncombustible products. In time, sound and lighting hookups will allow for events ranging from live music to comedy open-mike nights. Behind this area will be a separate room where those seeking to smoke, vape or dab can comfortably consume without bothering anyone else.
An adjoining space, dubbed “the basement,” is not actually on a different level but will offer an atmosphere in the spirit of a cozy, cannabis-friendly hostel.
In this area, vintage arcade machines and snacks are the primary attraction. But we're not talking about Ruffles or Dr Pepper here. Instead, Chung plans to import several Japanese vending machines — beloved for offering a far wider (and more complex) range of snacks than their American counterparts — and then fill them with food items provided by neighboring Temescal eateries.
“There are 75-plus restaurants within a 10-block radius of us,” Chung said. “It's just a no-brainer. I've already talked to a few people, and they were really excited about it. We are all about emphasizing the local, as our name implies, and what better way to do that than by connecting some likely very hungry people with the best snacks Temescal has to offer?”
Though the consumption lounge isn't expected to be finished until December, the opening of Root'd in the 510's dispensary side has Chung feeling grateful and proud about what he and McCullough have accomplished.
“We're very fortunate,” he said. “I could not have asked for a better education or a better ending. Well, not an ending. It's the end of that chapter, but another is just beginning.”