The hole in Davis’s nightlife remains unfilled, despite promises from would-be businesses
By OWEN RUDERMAN — opinion@theaggie.org
Back in 2022, I wrote a column about how there seems to be a hole in the downtown Davis nightlife — a hole that could only be filled by a pub. Near the end of the article, I mentioned that I was “cautiously optimistic” about a new modern American pub called the Bull ‘N Mouth that was supposed to be coming to the downtown area, and I genuinely was. I was eagerly awaiting the opening of the pub, which was slated for September 2022. I thought that the missing piece in downtown Davis had finally been found, that there could be a worthy successor to de Vere’s.
I was sadly mistaken. The Bull ‘N Mouth failed to open in September. November came and went, and the doors remained shut. 2023 rolled around, and still, nothing happened, besides “Help Wanted” signs appearing and then disappearing from the windows of the abandoned bar.
Now here we are, nearing the end of April — nearly eight months since the Bull ‘N Mouth was supposed to be in operation. But hey, I get it. I’m sure it’s hard to launch a restaurant and bar (even though the town is absolutely teeming with college kids). The least it could do, though, is keep us in the loop.
Every month or so, I Google the name of the would-be restaurant to check for any update. But the search results are always the same — all I find are articles from as early as July of 2022 detailing the first, and only, news about the new bar. I feel like the owners of the new bar could let us know what’s going on, and if the Bull ‘N Mouth will ever launch. Right now, it’s just stuck in limbo.
The lack of communication and the bar’s low chances of opening are a shame. I tried my best to build hype and support the Bull ‘N Mouth, but my efforts have been squandered. The worst part, though, isn’t that I feel betrayed, or even that communication is lacking — it’s that prime real estate in downtown Davis is being wasted.
The place where the Bull ‘N Mouth was supposed to open is incredibly central; you may have seen it when swinging by Raising Cane’s at 3 a.m. It’s located right next to the Kobe Mini Mart, across from Nick The Greek, which is the perfect downtown area — it’s about halfway between Central Park and all the bars on G Street.
If there really was a functioning bar/restaurant/hangout place there, I’m sure it would be a resounding success. It’s saddening that the space is currently occupied by the husk of a pub that could have been.
We need an update, and we need it soon. A few more months and it will have been a year of waiting for some word from the owners of the Bull ‘N Mouth about the state of the business. I feel scammed. At this rate, I’m going to graduate from UC Davis without ever being able to frequent a local pub — and that is simply a travesty. The Bull ‘N Mouth should either step up or step aside.
Written By: Owen Ruderman — opinion@theaggie.org
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