'The Hiring Has Begun' - Beloved Walnut Creek Bar Reinvented Downtown

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Masses Sports Bar & Grill has brought its nachos, wings, and familiar faces downtown after closing its longtime North Main Street home to make way for a Porsche dealership.

While the old neighborhood got fast cars, Masses gives the downtown area a family-run sports bar.

“We’ve got some work to do!” the owners announced in April. “But we’re excited to share our next chapter with you as we announce- our new home at 1411 Locust St. Walnut Creek!”

Customers have begun sharing their verdicts.

Planning Commissioner and City Council candidate Brendan Moran celebrated the commission's approval on Facebook.

“Great news for downtown Walnut Creek! Masses Sports Bar & Grill was approved by the Planning Commission last night for its new home on Locust Street,” Moran wrote.

“When I visited, I really didn't know what to expect, but the new location is AWESOME! Melissa and Eric, you did an amazing job with the fresh but still familiar concept,” a regular said on Facebook.

“Have no fear, my Masses-loving friends; the food and the people working behind the bar and in the restaurant are just as awesome!” she wrote.

The reopening fulfills a promise to keep Masses in Walnut Creek after losing their former location.

Maury and Christine Paden opened the 10,000-square-foot billiards hall and sports bar at 2721 N. Main St. in 1994.

Their children, Barrett and Eric Paden, took over the business in 2013.

The family owned the business but not the land beneath it.

Masses served its final round at the North Main Street location on Feb. 8, Super Bowl Sunday, after more than three decades there.

The City Council approved a Porsche dealership project March 3, allowing developers to pursue final permits and construction plans for a three-level sales and service center at North Main Street and Second Avenue.

The redevelopment included demolition of the former Masses building.

The new downtown restaurant occupies 3,522 square feet, according to the city's Oct. 8 Planning Commission staff report. Plans called for pool tables, a kitchen, a bar, dining space, dancing, and large screens showing sporting events.

The proposed layout accommodates 80 seats when arranged solely for dining, with a total occupancy capacity of up to 299. The business anticipated approximately six full-time employees and 27 part-time workers. This month they began hiring.

The restaurant has no on-site parking. But the new area gives patrons parking options, including street spaces and the Lesher Center, Locust Street, and Broadway garages.

However, for another customer, the reopening raised a different sort of concern.

“My main question, will there be a ping pong table?? I have had the most epic battles with the most diverse group of players of anywhere else ever at Masses!!”

Related:

Paving Over East Bay Sports Bar With Porsche Dealership

The Countdown Begins: When Massés Will Serve The Last Round

'Cheers For All The Good Times:' Walnut Creek Sports Bar To Close After 30 Years