(WWJ) A popular downtown restaurant is laying off its staff -- permanently.
Punch Bowl Social in Detroit will lay off 97 workers. Despite this, the company is adamant that they're not announcing a closure, with spokeswoman Johanna Ladis saying, "When the government allows restaurants and bars to reopen, the company will determine appropriate timing to hire and train new staff ...To reiterate, while the layoffs are permanent, the closure is not."
Punch Bowl has operated since 2014, and has been viewed as a centerpiece of the city's resurgence after bankruptcy. Considered by many as the place to be for date night, family and friend gatherings, it had a bevy of old-school arcade games, karaoke, food, craft cocktails and drinks, elevated pub food. The venue, regularly packed on nights and weekends, also hosted events.
The venue's tagline was, "Punch Bowl Social is a place where guests are treated like rock stars and rock stars are treated like guests. All fun hunters and foodies are welcome and invited."
The move to permananetely lay off all staff could be related to its majority stakeholder, the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain, which said earlier this month it could not bail out Punch Bowl Social due to the coronavirus crisis. Shuttering bars and restaurants across the country, the coronavirus outbreak is considered the most devastating thing to happen to the restaurant industry outside of a world war.
In an SEC filing, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. noted its intent to concentrate its resources on its core business of owning and operating Cracker Barrel restaurants "in light of the substantial uncertainties surrounding the Punch Bowl Social business coming out of the pandemic." The Tennessee-based company has more than 650 Cracker Barrel stores in 45 states.
