Star comedian Mike Epps is set to launch a multipurpose entertainment and dining establishment in downtown Detroit.
One Mike, a comedy and music club, will open at 1331 Broadway St. in Detroit, a $1.5 million property that was formerly home to Punch Bowl Social, said two people familiar with the project. Punch Bowl Social, a national bar-and-bowling chain, permanently closed the Detroit location during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A version of the One Mike webpage, cached by Google on Nov. 4, includes the line: “Whether you seek big laughs, spoken word, gospel, jazz or cool rhythm & blues, One Mike will have everything you need!” The promotional copy also vows “a fresh, delectable dining experience.”
The venue has quietly set up social media accounts in recent weeks, with pages at Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
“One Mike Comedy club opening soon in Detroit,” reads a tagline on the Instagram account.
“Dawn of a new era,” reads a post on the Facebook account.
Epps is expected to attend a private launch party Wednesday evening at the Broadway Street site, joined by Detroit pastor and broadcast personality Horace Sheffield III, along with executives from Epps’ recently formed One Mike Enterprises, according to a media release.
A representative for the event said venue details will not be formally announced until Wednesday night.
Detroit has long been one of the strongest markets for the 51-year-old comic and actor, an Indianapolis native who broke big at the turn of the 2000s via appearances on “Def Comedy Jam” and in films alongside Ice Cube and others.
Epps went on to become a top live draw while crossing over into the hip-hop world, including a 2011 sampled appearance on the Detroit project Bad Meets Evil featuring Eminem and Royce 5’9”.
Epps is a lead actor on the Netflix sitcom “The Upshaws,” which was recently renewed for a third season.
Epps made global headlines out of Detroit in 2017 when he cavorted with an agitated kangaroo onstage during a Joe Louis Arena performance. Videos of the incident went viral, and Epps later apologized, saying he was a lifelong animal lover.
His One Mike club would be the second new downtown comedy venue this year: The Detroit House of Comedy, a 400-seat club in the former City Theatre at Hockeytown Cafe, opened in June.
