Punch Bowl Social Opens Portland Location

PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwired - Aug 15, 2013) - Punch Bowl Social (PBS), a restaurant concept combining a modern diner and scratch kitchen with a high-volume mixology bar and old-school entertainment, has opened a new location at Pioneer Place in downtown Portland, Ore. Featuring bowling, billiards, pingpong, shuffleboard, darts, private karaoke rooms and a wall dedicated to classic video gaming, Punch Bowl Social delivers the "holy trinity" of elevated diner food, crafted cocktails and parlor entertainment as well as private karaoke rooms.

"Instead of making diners choose between quality food and a great social experience, Punch Bowl Social brings classic entertainment and culinary refinement together under the same roof," said Seasoned Development founder and CEO Robert Thompson, who launched the Punch Bowl Social concept in Denver last year. "The PBS concept genesis came after studying Portland culture and ethos on a series of extended visits in 2011, so we're excited to bring Punch Bowl Social back to its Portland roots. PBS is where Paul Bunyan meets Don Draper," Thompson said.

Punch Bowl Social is a modern diner and mixology bar first and foremost and an entertainment venue second. Inspired by Portland's innovative, quality-driven dining scene and the vintage feel of classic diners across the U.S., Punch Bowl Social can be classified as part of the growing Gastro-Diner category. The scratch kitchen serves four meals -- with late-night snacks as a separate meal category -- and in-house mixologists are constantly reinventing the F&B world's craft cocktail focus. The design team scoured antique stores for punch bowls, and the mixologists have developed an extensive menu of punch bowl-friendly beverages.

Punch Bowl Social occupies the entire third-floor rotunda of the Pioneer Place shopping center. The style of the 32,000-square-foot space designed by Robert Thompson and Studio Lemonade can be described as "dirty modern" or "eclectic industrial Victorian." The facility has a capacity of 1,200 and can host private events for groups from 10 - 1,200, or greater when combined with the whole of Pioneer Place. An event coordinator is available to assist with corporate events, club lunches, business meetings, private dinners, charity fundraisers, high-school reunions and other special events.

The kitchen is open daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., with breakfast served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. M-F, Brunch served 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat - Sun, lunch and dinner served from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and happy hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The menu created by culinary director and executive chef Sergio Romero features locally sourced organic ingredients whenever possible. 

Chef Romero's passion for locally sourced and fresh ingredients came from his roots in Taos, N.M., where he studied under Joseph Wrede (winner of Food & Wine Magazine's Best Young Chef in the Nation) at the famed Joseph's Table. Romero competed in the acclaimed "Iron Chef" competition in 2009, was voted a "Rising Star" by Denver Westword DISH and Denver Magazine, and cooked at the James Beard House in New York City. Romero also worked with Thompson to develop two other award-winning Seasoned Development properties, Argyll GastroPub and Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar, both in Denver and both winners of Denver's Best New Restaurant honors, in addition to the original Denver Punch Bowl Social.

Punch Bowl Social celebrated the grand opening of its Portland location on July 27 with a benefit event for the Oregon Food Bank.

About Punch Bowl Social
Punch Bowl Social is a restaurant combining modern Gastro-Diner fare, a high-volume mixology concept and social entertainment in a completely new way. Inspired by local flavors and cuisine, the scratch kitchen offers sophisticated comfort food along with crafted cocktails and an exhaustive range of ways for customers to enjoy themselves. From private karaoke rooms to bowling to marbles: if you can do it over a beer, Punch Bowl Social has it. Punch Bowl Social currently has locations in Denver, Colo., and Portland, Ore., and plans to open a third restaurant in Austin, Texas. For more information, please visit http://punchbowlsocial.com.