Punch Bowl Social to ‘reopen as soon as we can’
Punch Bowl Social in the Milwaukee Bucks’ entertainment block outside Fiserv Forum is hoping to welcome back customers by the end of October.
The restaurant and entertainment business took a step toward reopening Tuesday with a new city approval.
The Milwaukee Common Council approved the license for 24,500square-foot restaurant and entertainment complex, which has sat empty for more than a year and a half.
Punch Bowl Social’s Milwaukee location closed and laid off its 91 staff members effective March 16, 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This was an important meeting because the next Common Council meeting would not be until Nov. 2, so the Bucks season would be five or six games in, Marquette is gearing up to play,” attorney Brian C. Randall told the
Journal Sentinel after winning approval from the council’s Licenses Committee just before the full council met.
“The Deer District is such an active and vibrant place that it’s important for us to be able to go through the license process today and reopen as soon as we can,” he said.
The company’s timeline to reopen the Milwaukee location has been pushed back a few times. Last year, Punch Bowl Social said the Milwaukee destination would reopen by November of 2020.
In August of 2021, Punch Bowl Social announced that it would reopen to the public in time for the Milwaukee Bucks first preseason game. That was Oct. 5.
The Bucks first game of the 2021-22 season at Fiserv Forum is Oct. 19. The Bucks will take on the Brooklyn Nets.
The Denver-based chain has 14 other locations that are open.
Punch Bowl Social has said it plans to have all of its activities and games like karaoke, billiards, ping pong and bowling available when it reopens. The Punch Bowl Social location in the Deer District is the largest venue in the Bucks’ entertainment block. It has a capacity around 1,000 people.
There are still a number of city inspections that must take place and an occupancy certificate must then be issued before Punch Bowl Social can reopen, Randall said.
Randall said Punch Bowl Social needed to submit a new application to the city because of the pandemic and a change in ownership.
Punch Bowl Social has been one of the anchor tenants of the entertainment block outside of Fiserv Forum since it opened in March of 2019. The other tenants are Good City Brewing, Mecca Sports Bar and Drink Wisconsinbly.
Punch Bowl Social was ordered in September to pay the City of Milwaukee more than $23,000 for unpaid taxes and interest. That judgement had not been paid as of Tuesday morning.