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Poison’s Rainbow — the funky, colorful bar from the man behind Modest Mouse — ran its usual service last night, but quietly shuttered for good when it closed up for the night. This morning, its Instagram page had a photo saying “closed” and a short message, reading, “Poisons Rainbow is permanently closed. Thank you to all the gorgeous people we’ve met along the way. We will miss every single one of you.”
The bar has been open for less than two years, opening in Kerns in the spring of 2018. Isaac Brock, the frontman of popular Indie band Modest Mouse, created the bar with Matt Brown and Jessica Williams of the restaurant consulting group Title Bout. Originally the bar was home to the Sicilian-ish pizzeria Ranch Pizza, which served its thick crust pizzas along with a playful classic cocktail menu. In May 2019, the pizzeria left to focus on its permanent location in Woodlawn, and Connor Martin of the Chinese pop-up Mian came in to collaborate with Brock on a creative new food menu that included things like “peanut butter and jelly wings.”
Kelly Godell, a managing partner at the bar, says Poison’s Rainbow has been remarkably slow for months. “There is a wall of construction to the left of our building that has blocked street visibility since virtually our first day of service, and we took a substantial hit after Ranch left,” she says. “Despite our best efforts to rebrand with DJs and the best staff on the planet, without a sustainable food program we just couldn’t bring in the numbers.” Brown reiterated Godell’s thoughts: “We just couldn’t get people to come enjoy the spot!! Our sales were abysmal,” he writes in an email. “Win some, lose some.”
December 13, 2019, 10:30 a.m., this article was updated with quotations from the owners.
• Poison’s Rainbow [Official]
• Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock Wanted to Name His Bar ‘Magic F—-ing Flute’ [EPDX]
• With Ranch Pizza Gone, Poison’s Rainbow Is Now Serving Dishes Like PB&J Wings [EPDX]
• Previous Poison’s Rainbow coverage [EPDX]
