In the increasingly crowded world of eatertainment, Robert Thompson is building what he hopes will be a multibrand powerhouse under the name Joy Trade.
Thompson is the creator of two upcoming eatertainment brands: Jaguar Bolera, a bowling/darts/games venue opening May 19 in Raleigh, North Carolina; and Camp Pickle, a pickleball themed complex, scheduled to open first in Denver next year. By the end of 2025, Joy Trade expects to have two units of each brand open for a total of four.
And Thompson is planning to add more brands to the platform, both by building them and buying them.
“Because we’ve been developing and operating eatertainment brands for so long, we have the personnel that understands how to integrate and operate other brands, so we can very efficiently put them on the platform,” said Thompson in an interview at the Restaurant Leadership Conference last month.
Thompson founded and sold the Punch Bowl Social concept, and toyed with leaving the eatertainment space before he had “a Godfather moment” and was pulled back in with the launch of Jaguar Bolera. A second location is scheduled to open later this year in Atlanta.
Joy Trade is one of a growing number of restaurant companies following a platform model, which allows for shared infrastructure and cross-brand efficiencies. Thompson said he is looking for both nascent brands that could benefit from Joy Trade’s expertise, and potentially for more-established eatertainment concepts with 10 to 15 locations.
Listen to how Thompson explains what he is building with Joy Trade.
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