In the pocket

Downtown Austin scores second location of popular Domain nightlife hot spot

Punch Bowl Social plans to bring twice the fun to Austin.

Photo courtesy of Punch Bowl Social

Since opening in 2007, the Domain and its adjacent development, Domain Northside, have been called Austin’s second downtown. Now with the March 26 announcement that popular entertainment hub Punch Bowl Social is planning to open the city's second location on Congress Avenue, the question must be asked: Is Austin's first downtown becoming more like the Domain?

According to a company rep, Punch Bowl Social has signed a letter of intent to open a new location in the Scarborough Building at Sixth Street and Congress Avenue. One of Austin’s few existing examples of art deco architecture, the building most recently was the location of a large Brooks Brothers store before it shuttered in May 2017. The new location of Punch Bowl is tentatively scheduled to take its place in February 2019.

The 13 outposts of the Denver-based company are like a more sophisticated version of Dave & Busters, combining entertainment like karaoke, virtual reality bowling, arcade games, table tennis, and pool with a food and beverage program designed to attract a more contemporary customer that has outgrown chain food.

In 2016, the brand scored a coup by partnering with celebrity chef (and notable unibrow proponent) Hugh Acheson, who overhauled the chain's menus and instilled a focus on seasonal ingredients and scratch cooking.

The Punch Bowl rep told CultureMap that founder and CEO Robert Thompson had been on the hunt for a new Austin location for a while. He zeroed in on the Scarborough Building both because of its architectural beauty and proximity to other entertainment destinations like Sixth Street and the Warehouse District.

The Punch Bowl location will be the third Domain and Domain Northside anchor to colonize downtown. Two Fox Restaurant Concepts eateries with North Austin locations have opened in recent months — health food focused Flower Child in December and Italian favorite North Italia in January.

openings

Genuine Surprise

Austin coffee shop announces return immediately after sudden closure

Genuine Joe Coffeehouse/Instagram

Genuine Joe Coffeehouse is now under and optimistic spell.

An Austin coffee shop has experienced a roller coaster over the past week. On October 31, Genuine Joe Coffeehouse announced it would close, but after some community help, it's back on track to stay open with some changes to make the business more stable going forward. One of those seems to be a new location that hasn't been announced yet, according to a social media post.

The original message announcing the closure was posted on Instagram: "Genuine Joe is closed for the foreseeable future," it said. "Yesterday was our last day of business. We are sorry to the community for the short notice- it surprised all of us too."

As Genuine Joe owner Josh Brown explained to KVUE, the property he rented had been sold to build condos in 2021. After that, the coffee shop only had a lease for up to six months at a time. Finally, KVUE reported, a hard demolition date has been set for February.

In the shop's next Instagram post, management thanked fans for their comments and established a GoFundMe page, which they explicitly said would not go toward reopening. "Donations will not go towards reopening, relocating, or any debt incurred by Genuine Joe Coffeehouse. Everything will go to the staff," wrote Leann Tipton, who is listed as the organizer of the fundraiser.

Just days later, another post went up announcing that Genuine Joe would reopen and continue business at the original location — meaning 2001 W. Anderson Ln. According to the post, what was raised from the now-disabled GoFundMe ($7,762) went entirely to staff in limbo.

The most explanation the post offers is that "a few special members of the GJ family" stepped up to help. It does not mention whether the help was financial or otherwise. It also announced some changes: an increase in prices, reduced hours, and fewer non-core offerings — namely, breakfast tacos.

This is, of course, not the whole story. The post promises to share more news later, specifically detailing the demolition and a new location.

Genuine Joe's current hours according to the post at 7 am to 7 pm on weekdays, and 8 am to 7 pm on weekends. Customers had strong reactions, and it looks like none bemoaned the reasonable changes.

"Crying tears of joy….. my family and friends are going to be so relieved they don’t have to hear me mourn genuine joe on the daily anymore," wrote one commenter. They weren't the only one in tears, if the rest of the comments were any indication.

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