Atlanta-based Painted Hospitality is taking its combined entertainment and dining concept—bowling and gaming paired with upscale casual cuisine—to the next level.
Having spent a decade operating his father’s restaurant group, Concentrics, Justin Amick, principal and co-founder of Painted Hospitality, is “applying those same principles to a venue encompassing food, beverage, entertainment, and ambiance, all under one roof,” he says.
Celebrating its second anniversary in June, the first restaurant, The Painted Pin, aspires to create a more dynamic, intimate, colorful experience than the stereotypically shuttered-in bowling alley. Amick and his business partner, William Stallworth, co-founder and vice president of Painted Hospitality, strive for a more energetic vibe that combines a central bar and indoor courtyard gaming area with a dance floor and live music. Located in an industrial warehouse space, the venue features bocce courts, giant Jenga, Skee-Ball, shuffleboard, Bimini ring toss, oversized basketball hoops, ping-pong, and southern skittles.
Overseen by Executive Chef Thomas Collins, The Painted Pin’s “upscale alley fare” is food that can easily be consumed while playing games and comprises “shareable small plates—wood-fired pizzas, tacos, sliders, food that’s meant to be shared and consumed while playing games and having a good time,” Amick says. “We didn’t want to have this pretentious menu. It’s refined bar food.” All of which is served at every seated area, including bowling lanes.
Mixologist Trip Sandifer oversees the cocktail side, which spans classics to “playful cocktails, such as our Moscow Mule Slushie,” says Amick, who likens the bar vibe to “dive bar nostalgia with craft bar competence.” Being an advanced sommelier, he selects boutique wines that are distinct and uncommon.
Slated to open in summer 2016, the second concept, Painted Duck, will expand the Painted Hospitality brand, focusing on duck pin bowling along with games like Belgian feather bowling, two indoor horseshoe pits, and “some truly unique British pub games, including a game called toad in the hole, which is the original, more classy version of [the American game] cornhole,” Amick says. Additionally, there will be a mezzanine level with three oversized, themed karaoke rooms that will include full-service dining.
The Painted Duck will serve “backyard bar fare,” which is described as comfort food for sharing, like barbecue and wood-fired meat. “A large part of our menu will be ‘quills,’ which is food that’s prepared on a stick whether it’s fish, steak, chicken, pork, shrimp, or vegetables,” Amick says. “It’s a quick hit where guests can enjoy something, but it doesn’t get messy and doesn’t [require a] knife and fork to eat it.” There will also be sliders, shareable small plates, and cocktail offerings.
Amick and Stallworth relish the challenge ahead. “We think that we do this concept better than anyone in the country,” Amick declares. “And we think we would be well-received in any market where we find the right space and location.”
