Oakland Athletic Club reopens under new ownership 4 months after closing
The last year has been tough on many businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Some say tariffs have driven up costs. Inflation and the possibility of a recession have made many people watch their budgets. For areas like Oakland, public safety is also a factor.
But Thursday night, a business that closed four months ago, reopened its doors.
On opening day, the Oakland Athletic Club had to turn people away as fans packed the restaurant for the Mexico and South Africa match. It's no coincidence that this sports bar and restaurant opened on the same day the World Cup kicked off.
"I would say if the World Cup was not starting today, we would've given ourselves a little more time and had a little less stress in our lives," Angela Tsay, Oakland Athletic Club co-owner, said. "But you can't be a sports bar and miss the first day of the World Cup."
Angela Tsay is one of six new owners of the Oakland Athletic Club. She says a parking lot conversation with a couple of potential partners and a few phone calls later led to this day.
"Oakland has taken its lumps post Covid, and I think that we are ready for an Oakland Renaissance," Tsay said. "I think that making this bet on downtown Oakland is a reflection of how deeply we all believe that Oakland is on the comeback."
The ownership group is made up of Oakland residents with deep roots in the community. All with their own expertise in the restaurant and business industry. The goal for this venture was not to attract just sports fans but to make it a food destination for everyone to enjoy.
"We knew that Oakland is a sports town and we really love our sports, but just being a sports bar was not enough to keep the business alive," Tsay said.
One of the customers on opening day was Sidney Caldwell. She was a regular here before it closed down in February.
"I was really sad," Caldwell said. "I think Oakland has had a lot of good places close, especially recently. "
Caldwell says the Athletic Club opening again feels like it's a symbol of resilience for Oakland.
"To see it come back to life was reinvigorating," she added. "It also created this possibility that Oakland can come back to."
That is what the owners are hoping for as well. For them, this is not just an investment in this business but an investment in a community that they all love.
"This isn't a way for us to make a lot of money, but it's a way we keep Oakland alive," Tsay said. "We keep the community nurtured through feeling of belonging through sports and community."
