Community Update: Mission Bowling Club

Above: MBC Owner Molly Bradshaw (right), Events Director Jordan Miller (center) and Bar Manager Tammy Hagans (left).

Recently, we ran the story behind Mission Bowling Club (published below). MBC has some great upcoming events that we’d like to share:

• Rebel Fare— Sunday (9/13) from 4pm-9pm
• Last Resort Prefix Dinner— Wednesday (9/16) seatings at 5pm & 6:30pm
• Soul Skillet— Sunday (9/20) from 11am-3pm
• ChiliCali— Wednesday (9/23) from 12pm-6pm
• Soul Skillet— Sunday (9/27) from 11am-3pm
• Bake Sale Fundraiser— Wednesday (9/30) from 3pm-6pm

Visit Mission Bowling Club for good food and fun, all with pandemic safety in mind!

Defining Community with Mission Bowling Club

When you walk into Mission Bowling Club in San Francisco, you’ll be greeted by an unmistakable sense of community. 

From impressively high ceilings whose walls are adorned with local art, to the sounds of friends laughing as they enjoy refreshing cocktails, bowling, and of course, delicious food that’s been featured in several local blogs and The New York Times, it’s clear why diners choose to celebrate every occasion—big and small—at Mission Bowling Club.

When Molly Bradshaw and her business partner opened Mission Bowling Club in 2012, their goal was to combine great food, wonderful cocktails, and the spirit of community they had created in their previous venture. 

Today, Mission Bowling Club is happy to become part of your story. Plus, with a focus on supporting its community, you can feel good about supporting everything Mission Bowling Club has to offer. 

More Than Just Bowling

With a background in nonprofits, Molly knew that she wanted to bring community-based partnerships to Mission Bowling Club. In 2018, she became the sole owner and decided to use the opportunity to turn Mission Bowling Club into a resource for those who loved it.

“I have really explored the different ways to make the space more inviting, community-based, diverse…more than just bowling,” Molly said about Mission Bowling Club’s partnerships. “We really try to partner with different community members and organizations.” 

This vision of community is clear with one glance at the walls, which are covered in art. Through a partnership with Artspan, Mission Bowling Club gives local artists the opportunity to display their work, creating higher visibility. 

Mission Bowling Club’s space is also used to host live musicians. These partnerships are mutually beneficial for Mission Bowling Club and the artists who are featured, and they enforce the sense of community that Molly hopes to nurture.

According to Molly, “We get to meet more members of our community and be enriched by their passions. If anything, we’re the lucky ones who are able to maintain the relationship, and that’s how I feel with a lot of our partners.”

Putting the Mission in Mission Bowling Club 

Beyond supporting artists, Mission Bowling Club opens its doors on Wednesdays for children to play for free and creates opportunities for other community members by using the space for fundraisers. At the heart of Mission Bowling Club is the belief that everyone has the chance to make a difference. 

“I decided that I wanted to amplify that element of my background, amplify what it means to be a member of a community,” Molly explained about Mission Bowling Club’s initiatives. “I definitely feel like if you have resources, you should do what you can to give.” 

This idea is more than a quote for Molly and Mission Bowling Club – it’s the driving factor behind the restaurant. Whether they’re giving through their community partnerships or working hard to create a memorable experience for their guests, everyone at Mission Bowling Club gives what they can.

Looking Toward the Future

While the future is uncertain, Molly’s hopeful that they’ll be able to use the space to celebrate the community they’ve created along the way, especially business owners who have had to make the hard choice to close due to the pandemic. “We want to make sure if we have something, people can climb aboard.”

In the meantime, you can support Mission Bowling Club by reserving a table to dine on their patio Thursday through Saturday or ordering food for pickup through their website.

Despite the confusion of current times, it’s inspiring to see the way that businesses can be a model for how everyone should act—through embracing what it truly means to be a member of a community.