Jillian's was a restaurant and entertainment chain with locations in the United States and Canada, and was headquartered in Reno, Nevada.[1] No Jillian's location remains open as of 2018.
History[]
Jillian's was founded in 1985 as a billiards club located in Boston, Massachusetts. The club was named after Jillian Foster, who is the spouse of the establishment's founder. The couple later founded the chain Lucky Strike Lanes. Within several years, the owners opened another branch in Seattle, Washington. By the early 1990s, it had become a competitor of Dave & Buster's, expanding its locations to include restaurants, video games, bowling alleys, nightclubs, and conference rooms. By 2000, there were roughly 30 locations in the U.S. and one in Montréal, Québec, Canada. In 2004, Jillian's Entertainment Holdings, Inc.[2] filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and arranged to sell its assets[3]. Nine of the Jillian's locations and the Jillian's tradename were sold to Dave & Buster's. At least some of these locations were eventually converted to operation under the Dave & Buster's name, and some were rebranded as "Dave & Buster's Grand Sports Cafe".[4] In 2009, Dave & Busters, which itself was going through the process of being sold from one venture capital firm to another, sold the rights to the name to Gemini Investors. That company later established JBC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.[5] to operate these locations.
Closings include the location at Neonopolis in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada (which closed in 2008 after also being used as a concert venue) and the location at Peabody Place in Memphis, Tennessee, which shut down in 2009. The Jillians of Youngstown, Ohio at the Southern Park Mall was closed down on January 30, 2011 with most games and other assets being transferred by JBC to Mall of America to open Skydeck Sports Grille & Lanes which was its self a former Jillians location 7 years earlier that Dave & Buster's had acquired in the bankruptcy sale and quickly abandoned after failed lease negotiations with Mall of America management.[6] Skydeck at Mall of America was originally intended to be branded Jillians but JBC could not secure the rights from Dave & Busters to use the Jillians name in the state of Minnesota. The location in Charlotte, North Carolina closed down in February, 2010.[7] The Cleveland Heights, Ohio location also closed on February 20, 2011 and was converted into Myxx, a tapas bar, by its owner.[8] The location in Seattle, WA closed in 2012. The location in Peoria, IL closed May 2013, and the location in Universal City, CA closed in January, 2016.
In mid 2011 JBC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. was dissolved and all Jillians branded locations and Skydeck Sports Grille & Lanes were acquired by Gameworks LLC in a deal that saw the former leadership of JBC Entertainment Holdings, Inc assume control of operating all Gameworks and Jillians locations with the intention to rebrand most remaining Jillians as Gameworks locations.[9]
Known locations[]
Canada[]
Québec[]
Montréal[]
- 2313 Ste-Catherine Street W.
United States[]
Arizona[]
Phoenix[]
- 21001 N. Tatum Blvd.
California[]
San Francisco[]
- Metreon Shopping Centre
- 1000 Universal Studios Blvd.
Universal City[]
- 175 4th Street
Georgia[]
Lawrenceville[]
- 5900 Sugarloaf Pkwy.
Illinois[]
Peoria[]
- 5201 W. War Memorial Dr.
Kentucky[]
Covington[]
- 522 W. 12th St.
Maryland
Arundel Mills Mall
Minnesota[]
Bloomington[]
- Mall Of America
Nevada[]
Las Vegas[]
- Neonopolis
New York[]
- 59 N Pearl St, Albany, NY 12207
Farmingdale[]
- 261 Airport Plaza Blvd
North Carolina[]
Charlotte[]
- 200 E. Bland St.
Raleigh
- 117 West St
Ohio[]
Cleveland Heights[]
- 12459 Cedar Road
Youngstown[]
- Southern Park Mall
Tennessee[]
Memphis[]
- Peabody Place
Texas[]
Houston[]
- Katy Mills Mall
- Marq*E
- 7620 Katy Fwy.
Virginia[]
Chesapeake[]
- Greenbrier Mall
Norfolk[]
- 333 Waterside Drive
Washington[]
Seattle[]
- 731 Westlake Ave. N
Trivia[]
- The arcade games in the Jillian's' locations operated on prepaid "Player Cards" (see infobox photo) that could be inserted into games, with specialized ones being entered at a remote terminal.
- The final remaining Jillian's before it closed was the one located at the Metreon Shopping Centre. It is unknown if it had any video or pinball games, as it stated on their web site that it had "billiards", which is assumed to be pool tables.
References[]
- ↑ Jillians Billiards site.
- ↑ FundingUniverse.com profile of Jillian's Entertainment Holdings, Inc.
- ↑ Dallas Business Journal: Sept 24, 2004-Dave & Busters and Gemini Investors to purchase Jillian's assets
- ↑ AllBusiness: Oct 7, 2005-Jillian's Farmingdale location refurbished and rebranded as Dave & Buster's Grand Sports Cafe
- ↑ Hoovers profile of JBC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.
- ↑ Jillian’s closes in Boardman.
- ↑ [1] Jillian's closes in South End
- ↑ Old Jillian's Space in the Heights Reopens Tomorrow as Myxx, a Tapas Lounge.
- ↑ https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/733052.pdf
Links[]
This former chain was featured in December, 2016.