Ask anyone in the community to name just one GLBT-owned business in our city’s booming Gaslamp District, and you’ll end up with a blank stare. The fact is there haven’t been any “out” entrepreneurs in the area since its rebirth in the early ’90s.

That is, until now.

In early April, business partners Brian Savage and Brian Stout, who currently own Brians’ American Eatery in Hillcrest and Kearny Mesa, will open a third location in the historic St. James Hotel at 828 Sixth Ave. The restaurant, named Brians’ Eatery and Drinkery, will include a full bar accented with an ornate, dark-wood shelving unit that once graced the Italian home of screen legend Joan Crawford. And the bear-size food portions that remain a trademark at the other Brians’ locations will be presented with a slightly more upscale twist to conform to downtown standards.

“Everyone we’ve talked to who knows anything about downtown realizes there’s nothing here to eat once all the clubs close at night,” says Savage. “We’ll be offering a fun, casual-type atmosphere where everyone is welcome.”

The eatery will open daily at 6:30 a.m. and stay open 24 hours Thursdays through Saturdays. It will operate until 2:00 a.m. the remainder of the week.

Savage adds, “We’re keeping the interior design true to its 1913 theme when the structure was first built.” The massive crystal chandelier left behind will stay. The Joan Crawford bar mantle, acquired by property managers some years ago, has been refinished. And as of last week, the flooring received a new marble makeover.

More exciting, says Savage, “is that we have access to the building’s rooftop, which has a killer view. There’s a bar up there and our liquor license applies to the space.” The rooftop at first will be used for private functions until the co-tenant, the Ramada Inn Hotel, installs a new elevator that services the top level, which will put the roof area in compliance with the American Disabilities Act.

Savage says the new restaurant will be marketed to both the mainstream and GLBT communities. The new staff, he adds, will include about 40 employees.

“We’re amazed at how everything has been coming together so well,” he says. “And we each have our domestic partners to thank for all of their help in the creative process. They’ve given us good ideas and have kept us very motivated.”

Since going into business together in 1999, when they launched Brians’ American Eatery in Hillcrest, Savage and Stout have actively supported the Imperial Court de San Diego, as well as the leather community, Stepping Stone and the Hillcrest Youth Center. Prior to their business partnership, Stout owned and operated The Good Egg (starting in 1986), which the pair re-named later after their Hillcrest location on Washington Street.

When asked if he feels a gay-owned restaurant downtown is long overdue, Savage replies, “Absolutely. And considering the late-night hours that we’ll be serving food, there’s really been nothing like us in the area.”