Plank
Remember that huge restaurant/bowling/beer garden thing headed to Jack London Square? Well, it’s almost here.
Named Plank and due in October, the sheer numbers are staggering:
- 500 seats inside (including 125 at the restaurant)
- 325 more seats outside
- 18 bowling lanes
- 65 games (video and carnival)
- 49,000 square feet total
- 175 to 190 staffers
- 45 televisions inside
- 48 beer taps outside
So yeah: ambitious.
The chef is Jason Moniz, who you might remember from places like Flora and Locavore. (For more on the owners behind Plank, the Trifecta Management Group, see our item from March.)
On the food side, Moniz has been tasked to create and execute a menu that he describes as representative of Oakland in 2014. That means the menu will be cross-cultural — burgers, noodles, and both Mexican and Asian tacos, for example — plus the now-standard use of local ingredients.
But at the same time, he knows that a strong majority of his diners will be coming for the bowling alley, the beer garden and the sports bar components.
“We want to be approachable. That’s the goal. You can come with kids, or be a super foodie,” says Moniz. “I want to keep food on point with what’s happening in Oakland.”
What do you think? Will Plank be the anchor tenant that Jack London Square has been seeking, with beer and bowling luring new crowds to the area? Or will it fizzle? Share your thoughts and predictions in the comments.
· Previously: Jack London Square slated to get big dining and entertainment development [Inside Scoop]