Days ahead of Flatstick Pub’s grand opening in downtown Sacramento, co-owner Brandon Robinson said he’s excited to show it off.

The 14,000-square-foot space on two levels in the basement of 630 K St. might be best known as a combination miniature golf course and beer bar. But Robinson, who owns the site with his wife, Sacramento native Jennifer Robinson, said he’s pushing back on those who dismiss it as “Fratstick Pub,” a gathering spot for bro types.

Flatstick pub

“It’s not a sports bar,” he said, though there are plenty of high-definition TVs showing sports. “If you don’t like the beer, come for the art. If you don’t like the art, come for the golf. If you don’t like the golf, come for the food. It’s all about having a lot of options.”

In what was the tasting room for craft brewery Ruhstaller before the latter moved to nearby 726 K St., Flatstick Pub was a $3 million investment. The business is scheduled to open Sunday.

From three holes spelling out the letters “SAC” in the nine-hole mini-golf course to 42 taps featuring breweries from within 100 miles, Brandon Robinson said, there is a strong emphasis on the local. In that same vein, the pub’s food service, #taco, uses farm-to-fork ingredients, while party and event rooms as well as a golf course sculpture of the Tower Bridge feature local artists such as Maren Conrad and Gina Rossi.

Mini golf won’t be the only diversion at Flatstick, which is based on a concept from Seattle. An idea conceived there will have what Robinson said is its only presence in Northern California: duffleboard, a bar game combining shuffleboard and golf, with nine different “holes.”

Another area of Flatstick will feature other golf-based pub games, while event rooms line the walls.

Flatstick will also offer something a bit more upscale, though at a price.

From the K Street entrance, it’s easy to miss at first. But behind a trophy case, the Trophy Club is a speakeasy with craft cocktails by experienced bartenders and custom furniture and interior design by Sacramento architect Brendan Koon of Vitae Architecture.

Annual fees for the Trophy Club will be $400, Robinson said, though that comes with perks such as unlimited golf and games at Flatstick. “We wanted a place that was vibrant and fun,” he said, adding membership will be capped, and a handful of Sacramento Kings players and coaches are signed up, among others.

Flatstick Pub’s Sacramento location is the first in California, Robinson said, but it won’t be the last. He’s hoping to eventually have other locations in the Bay Area and elsewhere.

Link to Article: Flatstick pub touts more than golf and beer
Ben van der Meer | Staff Writer | Sacramento Business Journal
Oct 15, 2019