Punch Bowl Social moving into John Barleycorn building in Schaumburg

Schaumburg officials hope a vibrant dining and entertainment chain moving into the Chicago-area market will breathe new life into the former John Barleycorn restaurant site this year.

Punch Bowl Social, which already has locations in Denver, Detroit, Austin and Portland, Oregon, has submitted a permit request for renovations at the 22,000-square-foot building at 1100 American Lane.

The business combines a unique dining experience with gaming opportunities such as bowling, table hockey and vintage arcade games.

According to its website: “Punch Bowl Social has eliminated having to choose between respectable food and beverage, and a great social experience. Punch Bowl brings 'old school' entertainment, culinary refinement, and a modern beverage program under one roof.”

The company also is planning to open a location in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood later this year. Representatives from the company could not be reached for comment Thursday, but Schaumburg officials said the conversion of the existing building shouldn't take long.

“It does seem like they want to move quickly,” Schaumburg Community Development Director Julie Fitzgerald said.

One aspect of the village's approval process likely to take six to eight weeks is an amendment of the building's special-use permit that will allow for the games that were not a part of John Barleycorn's business, she said.

Though the building isn't blessed with the best roadway visibility, a business likely to become a well-known destination could overcome that, Schaumburg Economic Development Manager Matt Frank said.

“It should draw from a large area and draw attention to that location,” he said.

John Barleycorn opened on the site in 2008 and ceased its day-to-day operations in June 2013. It spent some time after that as an exclusively special-events venue before transforming into an Old Crow Smokehouse.

The building has been vacant for a few months, Frank said.