Nationally recognized lifestyle brand, Punch Bowl Social, announced today that it will open the restaurant, bar and entertainment concept in downtown Phoenix in the fall of 2019. Punch Bowl Social has received numerous national awards for the company’s highly innovative approach to experiential food & beverage, including being named one of The World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2018 by Fast Company. The company was further honored when Nation’s Restaurant News counted it among its five 2018 Hot Concepts winners. Punch Bowl Social will be housed in a property owned by Phoenix-based developer True North Studio, LLC. True North is headquartered in the heart of the Roosevelt Row Arts District in the landmark monOrchid building.
Eat, Drink, Play, Punch Bowl Social Style
Founded in 2012 by restaurateur Robert Thompson, Punch Bowl Social’s genesis is rooted in placing food and beverage on equal footing with games and social activities, a disruption of the then prevalent model that featured games first, and food and drink as an afterthought. Today, Thompson’s commitment to the culinary and beverage programs is evident across the brand’s 15 locations. Thompson works in partnership with chief culinary and beverage officer Sheamus Feeley, who joined the leadership team in 2018 following a notable career at Hillstone Restaurant Group, to ensure the continued innovation and excellence of both programs.
Guests to Punch Bowl Social Phoenix will find the restaurant’s high-integrity culinary menu with made-from-scratch items like Chicken-n-Waffles with Chipotle Syrup, Fried Bologna Sandwiches, Street Tacos, and an expanded selection of shareable dishes including Pork Rillettes and Green Chorizo Fries. The thoughtfully-curated craft beverage program features creative non-alcoholic cocktails, local beers, select wines and the company’s namesake punches.
Further rounding out the experiential offerings is an expansive selection of social activities including ping-pong, darts, Putt Club, board games, classic video games, bowling, private karaoke rooms and more. Punch Bowl Social Phoenix will also feature the brand’s indoor Putt Club, a new social experience that is anything but a standard mini-golf experience. In Punch Bowl Social fashion, the course will start and end at an epic bar where guests will enjoy craft cocktails and scratch-made sharable food.
Punch Bowl Social Phoenix
Situated in the heart of the city’s vibrant Roosevelt Row Arts District, Punch Bowl Social Phoenix will encompass nearly 22,000 square-feet at 903 N. Second St. and will include a custom built 360 degree bar, outdoor patio space and various lounging and gathering spots ideal for groups both large and small. Ideally-suited to the art-centric Roosevelt Row neighborhood, Punch Bowl Social Phoenix will feature the brand’s distinctive design motif, best described as “dirty modern,” which melds mountain lodge, Victorian, industrial and mid-century modern themes. A fifth design element will pay tribute to the city’s unique character, history and location.
Thompson said he’s looking forward to the Phoenix opening, noting that he’d been considering the city for quite some time. “We’re thrilled to play a part in the re-envisioning of downtown Phoenix as well as its future growth and sustainability,” he said. “The Roosevelt Row neighborhood was at the top of our location wish list. It vibrates with nightlife, boutiques, street art and gallery spaces while delivering an unparalleled experience to its many visitors. This really resonated with us as we considered specific sites throughout the city.”
Thompson further adds that the location in the city’s urban core and among numerous urban renewal and infill projects was also compelling. “We liked the idea of moving into a long-vacant building and breathing new life and vitality to this corner of the neighborhood,” he said.
True North Studio was founded by Jonathon Vento. Vento has over 30 years of experience developing more than 200 projects across the country, including 44 Monroe, a high rise residential tower in Downtown Phoenix. True North Studio’s focus is on mixed use developments between Central Avenue to 3rd Street, and Roosevelt to Moreland Streets at Hance Park.
"The Roosevelt Row Arts District is becoming the soul of the entire Valley and True North Studio is thrilled to welcome Punch Bowl Social and their award winning team to the neighborhood,” said Vento. “This experiential concept will certainly contribute to the amplification of an already established, and ever growing, arts and cultural scene."
Punch Bowl Social opened its first location in Denver in 2012. It now counts 15 properties in its nationwide portfolio including Arlington, VA; Atlanta; Austin; Chicago; Cleveland; Denver; Detroit; Indianapolis; Miami; Minneapolis; Rancho Cucamonga, CA; Portland, OR; Sacramento; San Diego; Schaumburg, IL; and Stapleton, CO.