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A new sports bar will be opening in the Deer District in October.
Tom’s Watch Bar, a Denver-based sports-bar chain that’s been rapidly expanding, signed a lease with the Milwaukee Bucks to take over The MECCA Sports Bar and Grill, 1134 N. Phillips Ave., the company announced in a Sept. 18 news release.
The announcement doesn’t include a specific opening date. Tom’s Watch Bar spokespeople weren’t immediately available for comment on when it’ll open.
Jess Mero, Bucks vice president of arena and hospitality marketing, confirmed in an email that The MECCA will close. It’s been at its location next to Fiserv Forum since 2019.
Tom’s Watch Bar had submitted license applications to the city of Milwaukee in August.
Tom’s Watch Bar will offer more than 100 television screens at the more-than-10,000 square-foot venue, according to the announcement.
Tom’s Watch Bar aims to “put sports fans as close to the action as possible, offering an immersive game day experience that’s the next best thing to a courtside seat,” the bar’s co-founder and co-CEO, Brooks Schaeden, said in the statement.
“When we were approached by Tom’s Watch Bar to bring its nationally recognized food and beverage concept to Deer District, we knew this enhancement would provide Milwaukee with a premier venue to watch sports,” said Bucks Senior Vice President of Business Ops & Chief Real Estate Development Officer Michael Belot in a statement.
The chain of bars was founded in 2014 in Denver by food scientist and Smashburger co-founder Tom Ryan and former Quizno’s CEO Rick Schaeden. It has grown rapidly, announcing multiple new openings this summer, in Denver, Cleveland and Seattle, to add to its 17 existing locations. In June, Tom’s Watch Bar announced that it plans to open 10 to 12 locations in the next 18 months.
The national chain has also hosted non-sports events, including a Love Island watch party at its Sacramento location this summer.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.