Dunk’s Sports Grill closed on Sept. 28 after being sold by local restaurateur Tony Barnett. A new restaurant will open in the same location in January, according to Barnett.
Barnett opened Dunk’s in 2021 during the pandemic, replacing the Salt Hill Pub at 7 Lebanon St. He said he sold the company to spend more time with his family.
“I’ve been working in restaurants for a long time, and I just have a couple of young kids at home and two grandchildren that were recently born,” he said. “I’m lucky to be in a position where I can not work so much and spend more time with my family.”
Barnett said he “definitely made some mistakes” with Dunk’s, which he said put the bar at a “disadvantage” next to its competitors. Barnett added that the bar faced several challenges after its opening, including “fighting,” “overconsuming” alcohol and “minors trying to sneak in.”
“We realized that we weren’t real comfortable with the things that came along with the bar business,” Barnett said.
Barnett added that “national trends” also impacted the bar.
“There’s just an overall national trend with less drinking,” Barnett said. “If you’re in the bar business, it’s not ideal.”
Some students remember the bar fondly, including Paddy Quigley ’27, who visited Dunk’s before it closed.
“I used to go with a few of my friends every once in a while, especially at the end of every term,” he said. “The food was nice. The staff were very friendly.”
Bennett Mosk ’26 said that his friends “always had a really good night” during Dunk’s Thursday trivia competitions.
“We started going every Thursday,” Mosk said. “When Dunk’s closed a couple weeks ago, it was definitely a shot to the heart.”
Many workers previously employed by Dunk’s have been offered positions at Jesse’s Steakhouse or at Molly’s Restaurant and Bar, according to Barnett. Barnett previously owned Jesse’s, but he sold it to the restaurant’s general manager Patrick Reed in September.
“What was going to happen to the workers was something that was important to me and that we considered a lot,” Barnett said. “Many of them got redistributed [and] offered new, similar, positions at Jesse’s and Molly’s.”
Barnett said the location’s new owner of Dunk’s had “wonderful ideas” for a new restaurant, and he added that community members “should be excited.”
“I think it’s going to be something very much geared toward the College,” Barnett said. “I think that the students and faculty and the town are going to like what’s coming even better than Dunk’s.”
