How Fallbrook's Tavern Space Outlasted Its Own Brewery

Zipline Brewing Company shut down its brewery in June. Its Fallbrook restaurant kept serving for four more months, and now a new owner has signed up for the space.

The space is 575 Fallbrook Blvd., Suite 109. Zipline Tap & Grill served its last meal there on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. A sign on the door the following Wednesday said Red Oak Tavern was "coming soon," according to 10/11 NOW. That makes three names on the same door in 12 years. Each time one operator stepped away, another one stepped in.

Twelve years, three names, one suite

Suite 109 has a longer history than most Fallbrook storefronts. Here's the timeline as reported:

SchillingBridge was Fallbrook's farm-to-table spot for most of a decade. When the Midlands Business Journal profiled it, the restaurant had put plans for a second location on pause. It had about 20 employees and was closed Mondays and Tuesdays, a schedule it started during the pandemic to give staff two solid days off.

Zipline's arrival came in steps. It first ran the space alongside SchillingBridge, then opened under its own name. The Lincoln Journal Star's roundup of 2023 openings lists Zipline Tap & Grill as opening that December in the former SchillingBridge location. The handoff was gradual, and the space never really went dark.

The restaurant that kept going after its brewery closed

The middle chapter is the unusual one. On June 11, 2026, Zipline Brewing Company announced it was closing its taproom and beer lounge and ending brewing operations, effective immediately. 10/11 NOW reported that the company said its restaurant, down the street from the AKRS Equipment headquarters, would stay open. A sign at the taproom blamed rising costs, saying inflation and other expenses had squeezed the brewery's ability to make its beer at reasonable prices and "still keep our lights on."

So from June through mid-October, the Fallbrook Tap & Grill carried the Zipline name with no brewery behind it. The October farewell sign thanked "friends, family, and regulars" for "the endless support these past few months" and promised "a fresh, new concept." Zipline had been in the space since late 2023, so "these past few months" lines up with the stretch after the brewery closed.

Because it kept serving for those four months, the space changed hands as a working restaurant, with the last Zipline service and the Red Oak announcement only days apart.

Who's behind Red Oak Tavern

The new operator comes from Omaha. 10/11 NOW identified the buyer as the restaurant group behind four Omaha-area restaurants, led by CEO and Executive Chef Jared Clarke and owner and COO Scott Shirk. If you'd like a preview, here's where their current restaurants are:

• Railcar Modern American Kitchen, 1814 N. 144th St., Omaha
• Timber Wood Fire Bistro, 8702 Pacific St., Omaha
• Pasta Amore, 11027 Prairie Brook Road, Omaha
• Marrow, 17870 Oakmont Dr., Ste. 106, Gretna

According to 10/11 NOW, Clarke has 30 years of experience, a background in French technique, wood-fired cooking and food science, and a Culinology degree from the University of Nebraska. The station also reported that the owners have ties to Lincoln, Omaha, Fairbury, Broken Bow and Scottsbluff. The group describes Red Oak Tavern as scratch-made American comfort food with globally inspired flavors. In comments reported by 10/11 NOW, Clarke described the Fallbrook menu this way:

"For Fallbrook, we're creating a menu that reflects our Midwest roots while drawing inspiration from our current restaurant menus. We want guests to find both a favorite they'll come back for and something that makes them curious to try more."

Shirk's comments, in the same report, explain why an Omaha group would take on a Lincoln storefront. "We see that opportunity in Fallbrook," he said, adding that the group wants to be "the place someone suggests for a weeknight dinner, a date night, a gathering with friends or a special occasion," and knows it has to earn that through "consistent food and exceptional service."

That's the same job Suite 109 has done since 2014. SchillingBridge filled it with farm-to-table plates, and Zipline filled it with a brewery's food menu. Red Oak plans to take it on with a chef-led group that already runs four rooms in the Omaha metro.

What's still to be announced

The acquisition is expected to be complete by the end of October. The group said it will share details on Red Oak Tavern's menu, opening plans and transition schedule later. As of this week there's no opening date, no menu and no reservation page for the Fallbrook location. Until there is, Suite 109 is in the in-between stage it has been in before, in 2023, when one name was ending and the next hadn't started yet.

The rest of the block in the meantime

With the tavern between owners, the closest sit-down meal is on the 570 side of Fallbrook Boulevard. Toast calls itself a comfort kitchen and bar, with homestyle food and kid-friendly options, at 570 Fallbrook Blvd. #105. It's open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, with brunch Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For a weeknight dinner or a weekend brunch while Red Oak is getting ready, it's the nearest full menu.

Two shorter stops round out the block:

1. 402 Creamery runs a Fallbrook scoop shop at 570 Fallbrook Blvd. and has been posting October seasonal flavors.
2. NEW DAY Coffee + Smoothies has a newly opened location at 643 Fallbrook Blvd.

New owners for a restaurant space can also mean new questions about getting there. For this season, the answer is that nothing changes. The City of Lincoln's Fallbrook Boulevard improvement project at Highway 34 is still in early planning. It calls for closing the Fallbrook roundabout and single-lane closures between Highway 34 and the roundabout, with construction expected in 2028. Whenever Red Oak opens, the drive in from Highway 34 should be the same one you take now.

Tonight and the weeks ahead on Penrose Drive

A few blocks away, the Fallbrook YMCA Trunk or Treat is tonight, Thursday, Oct. 29, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 700 Penrose Dr., Suite B. The YMCA lists it as free with no registration required. It ends early enough to leave time for dinner at Toast.

After Halloween, the same branch starts its Holiday Wellness Challenge, which runs Nov. 9 through Dec. 31 at 700 Penrose Dr., Suite B. It runs through the holidays, while Fallbrook waits for the group to share Red Oak's menu and opening plans.

When Fallbrook gets a new restaurant, it changes how the neighborhood feels day to day, and that's the kind of change we track on every block we work in. If you're thinking about what the next few years might look like for your home in Fallbrook, Selling Sisters would love to talk it through with you, maybe over dinner at the new place once it opens. Schedule a consultation.