Punch Bowl Social Issues Mea Culpa Over Botched Opening

[Lowell]

Punch Bowl Social is in damage control mode after disgruntled customers lit up social media with complaints. Either they simply opened too early or were overwhelmed by the size of the crowd they attracted but they clearly were not ready. Anecdotally, I know from a couple of friends that it was impossible to get drinks and the only activity they could try was darts.

Alan Stamm of Deadline Detroit writes in his article 'Forgive Us,' Punch Bowl Social Pleads After a Shaky Launch'

It's a clear sign of trouble, and damage control, when a new restaurant offers free Sunday brunch to 100 pissed-off guests.

"Mistakes are not free," the Punch Bowl Social group's chief executive acknowledges to the Free Press, adding that its peacemaking meal for a prominent patron and friends "will cost us several thousand dollars."

The goodwill gesture is part of a rough first month for the downtown newcomer that opened Dec. 10 and attracted larger holiday season crowds than it could handle.

[stinkytofu]

They definitely have to figure out this whole corporate event issue. It brings them business, but it is one heck of a way to piss off your clientele that whenever they show up chunks of the games are closed to the public for private events. I generally enjoyed myself at the one event I attended, but you could tell they were not quite on top of their game.

Nonetheless, I wish them all the luck and will go again. I also credit them for stepping up and admitting they've screwed up the launch...

[ronaldj]

Aaaw. That's all.

[Danny]

Give it some time and Punch Bowl Social will handle crowds of customers in Gilberttown Detroit. The management thinks that the customer base in Gilberttown Detroit is small, but it not. It can get packed anytime.

[belleislerunner]

Agreed - It was short sighted to open in December because you think - I can make all the company Christmas party money.

But when you do that - the common folks here all the hype about the restaurant and come down only to find the second floor closed, the bowling lane closed and the game areas closed. Once. Twice. Three straight times.

There's no point in visiting again if you can't guarantee something will be open.

Close and reopen as a private club where you are reserve room. The public doesn't want to drive 20 miles with friends only to be told what they came to visit is closed/reserved for someone more important than you.

Greed doomed them. Hopefully they learn. It's a beautiful space.

[Spartan]

The problem isn't renting out the space for private parties, it's not telling anyone. It's the kind of place that is expected to do a lot of their business for private parties, especially around the holidays. However, they never bothered to take the 10 minutes or less it would take to post on their site and social networks when sections are closed.

[Zacha341]

Maybe the need a session with Chef Gordon Ramsey ala Kitchen Nightmares show! ........

[313WX]

Agreed - It was short sighted to open in December because you think - I can make all the company Christmas party money.

But when you do that - the common folks here all the hype about the restaurant and come down only to find the second floor closed, the bowling lane closed and the game areas closed. Once. Twice. Three straight times.

There's no point in visiting again if you can't guarantee something will be open.

Close and reopen as a private club where you are reserve room. The public doesn't want to drive 20 miles with friends only to be told what they came to visit is closed/reserved for someone more important than you.

Greed doomed them. Hopefully they learn. It's a beautiful space.

Greed didn't doom them [[they're running the business to maximize profits and obviously tons of people wanted to spend their money there, which are both ok), but incompetent management did...

This is one of those things that may have seemed good in management's head, but was poorly executed in reality...

Ideally, they'll learn from this mistake and it won't be a sad sign of things to come.

[Hypestyles]

Are their burgers and nachos any good?

[G-DDT]

When I saw "lit up", my first reaction was "Uh-oh, just like the Motor Lounge" [[I got a job there when it was starting out, and I got called in prematurely to clean up a huge mess. Rumor had it someone representing a powerful SE Michigan nightclub mogul snaked flammable chemicals on the classic parquet tile dance floor and blazed it up the night before the motor opened. I was not prepared to handle the clean-up. They still opened and aired it out, and folks had to dance in a tarry pit where all the tile was removed. Didn't stop them from being open for the next six years). Somethings just happen that way. If I have any hesitation in going there, it would be the garish "Dave & Buster's" type thing or that it might be as gimmicky as the blacklit poolhall/miniputt place that was once at the top of Trapper's Alley.