Bowling, karaoke, spiked milkshakes were set for Plaza area spot. Now there’s a hitch

On Friday, Chiefs Fit announced a new fitness club spanning two floors and the rooftop of the former Jack Henry building near the Country Club Plaza.

It was set to share the site with Denver-based Punch Bowl Social, which was planning eight bowling lanes, private karaoke rooms, darts, a restaurant, three craft cocktail bars, and a Milkshake Lab for over-the-top milkshakes, with or without alcohol.

But now Punch Bowl has filed for bankruptcy, and its Kansas City plans are in limbo.

“Currently, plans are paused regarding the opening of Punch Bowl Social Kansas City,” the company said in a statement. “Given the unprecedented times due to COVID, Punch Bowl Social is working on finalizing expansion plans for the future and we will share an update with you as soon as we can.”

In late 2019, when Punch Bowl Social confirmed the location, they couldn’t have been more excited.

“We are enthusiastically coming to KC,” said founder and CEO Robert Thompson at the time. “We’ve been paying attention to Kansas City for years. We really love that Country Club Plaza area. We just love all the energy there. It feels like the hub for Kansas City.”A late 2020 opening was scheduled, and he planned to hire about 240 employees.

But that was pre-COVID-19, and also pre-bankruptcy for the chain.

According to trade publication Nation’s Restaurant News, Punch Bowl Social operated about a dozen restaurants before the pandemic started, but it has since temporarily closed most of the operations and filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in late December.

In Kansas City, Matt Pennington, president of Drake Development, is redeveloping the building, at 612 W. 47th St., with Jim Klausman and Butch Eaton. It had been home to Jack Henry, an 83-year-old clothing store that shuttered in the space in 2014. The owners rebranded, then sold the building and relocated.

Pennington said he had a signed lease with Punch Bowl Social for half of the first floor and the lower level, for a total of about 22,000 square feet. He said they mutually terminated the lease so it would not be tied up in the bankruptcy.

While Punch Bowl Social is still a possibility for the space, Pennington is in talks with other possible tenants.

Two other restaurant spaces also are available on the first floor for a combined 10,000 square feet, and the building will include an outdoor dining area along 47th Street.

Nordstrom Rack also considered opening in the building, pre-COVID, Pennington confirmed Tuesday.

Chiefs Fit plans an early 2022 opening in the Jack Henry building. It also is opening a location in Overland Park.

Though the Jack Henry project will receive no property tax breaks, the port authority did approve a special Port Improvement District for the building. That will have all tenants impose an extra 1% sales tax on all sales to funnel back to the developer. The developer expects the building to generate $35 million in annual sales — meaning the 1% sales tax could raise about $350,000 per year.

This story was originally published April 21, 2021 at 5:00 AM.