The Abridged version:
- Punch Bowl Social will close its downtown Sacramento location by Dec. 24.
- Eighty-three employees will be laid off, according to a WARN Act notice.
- The company declared bankruptcy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but reopened its DoCo location in 2021.
Punch Bowl Social will permanently close its downtown Sacramento location by Dec. 24, according to a legal filing.
New Punch Bowl Sacramento LLC filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice with the state Employee Development Department on Oct. 22, signifying the upcoming closure of its 23,000-square foot “eatertainment” emporium in Downtown Commons.
Eighty-three employees staffing 15 positions will be laid off as a result, according to the WARN Act notice. Punch Bowl Social has 13 other locations, including two in Southern California.
Punch Bowl Social was billed as DoCo’s secondary entertainment option to Golden 1 Center when it opened in December 2017. Its vast halls include a bowling alley, axe-throwing lanes, billiards, darts, pingpong and karaoke, in addition to a central restaurant and multiple bars.
That bevy of options made it a popular spot before Sacramento Kings games and arena concerts, but Punch Bowl Social sometimes struggled to fill out its space outside of marquee events. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, which devastated the mostly indoor entertainment complex across all locations and caused the Denver-based company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The Sacramento location shut down in March 2020, laying off 115 employees at that time, but reopened in June 2021. This time, the closure will be permanent, according to the filing.
“Employee separations at the facility resulting from this action are expected to commence on December 24, 2025,” according to the letter the company submitted to the state Employment Development Department.
Punch Bowl Social representatives did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
Benjy Egel is the senior food editor at Abridged. Born and raised in the Sacramento region, he has covered its local restaurants and bars since 2018. He also writes and edits Abridged’s weekly food and drink newsletter, City of Treats.