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Ravine Club applies for liquor license near Dodger Stadium

Ravine Club applies for liquor license near Dodger Stadium

Built World Los Angeles, CA local

TV writer Hank Chilton's sports bar targets the former Button Mash space in Echo Park

Today: Liquor license application filed

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

The Ravine Club, a sports bar planned just outside Dodger Stadium, has applied for a full liquor license. TV writer Hank Chilton's first hospitality project filed for a type 47 license with California's alcohol regulator. State records show the application as applied for, not issued.

The license is the gatekeeper for the business model. Without it, the venue can't sell beer, wine, or spirits to the pregame and postgame crowds it is built around. Approval would move the project closer to opening in the former Button Mash space in Echo Park.

Why it matters

If the license clears, sports fans gain a full-bar option steps from Dodger Stadium, where sit-down bars are few.

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Key Indicators

20+
TV screens planned
The bar plans more than 20 screens, including a 145-inch video wall, to show games and other sports.
145
Inch video wall
The venue's centerpiece display for game-day viewing.
Type 47
Liquor license sought
Full on-sale general eating place license; status is applied, not issued.

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People Involved

Organizations Involved

Timeline

September 2024 September 2026

5 events Latest: Today
Tap a bar to jump to that date
  1. Liquor license application filed

    Today Regulatory

    The Ravine Club's type 47 license application appears on California ABC reports with applied, not issued, status.

  2. Echo Park Rising appearance planned

    Event

    The Ravine Club is slated to serve food and host parking-lot sets at the community music festival.

  3. Chef and consultants named

    Announcement

    Eater LA reports the fall 2026 target, chef Hugo Sanchez, and operations consultants Taylor Parsons and David Rosoff.

  4. Ravine Club announced

    Announcement

    Hank Chilton posts on LinkedIn that he is opening a sports bar near Dodger Stadium and seeking investors.

  5. Button Mash closes after nine years

    Closure

    Arcade bar Button Mash and its restaurant Poltergeist close permanently in Echo Park, vacating 1391 W Sunset Blvd.

Scenarios

1

Ravine Club opens with full liquor service by spring 2027

Likely Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: Eater LA; What Now Los Angeles

The California ABC approves the type 47 license within its normal processing window and the restaurant opens to customers. Chef Hugo Sanchez's menu and the 20-plus screens go live in time for the Dodgers' 2027 season.

2

ABC review drags; opening slips to late 2027

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: What Now Los Angeles

The ABC application runs longer than expected, pushing the opening past the original fall 2026 target and into late 2027. The project's dates have already slipped from early 2026 to fall 2026, so a further delay fits the pattern.

3

Project stalls; Sunset space returns to market

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Minority view; risk case

Investor funding falls short or the ABC application hits an obstacle, and the project is shelved. The 1391 W Sunset Blvd space gets relisted for lease, repeating the pattern after Button Mash closed.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2008 – 2010

LA Live and downtown's stadium-adjacent revival (2008)

LA Live, an entertainment complex built next to the Staples Center, brought restaurants, bars, and theaters to a downtown Los Angeles corner that had little foot traffic. It showed that development anchored to a major sports arena could draw crowds far beyond game nights.

Then

Staples Center-adjacent blocks filled with dining and nightlife that stayed busy on event days.

Now

The model proved stadium-adjacent hospitality can succeed when timed to a venue's event calendar.

Why this matters now

The Ravine Club bets the same logic applies to Sunset Boulevard's edge of Echo Park, a short walk from Dodger Stadium's gates. It needs the stadium's 81 home games plus steady neighborhood traffic to sustain the bar.

2015 – September 2024

Button Mash (2015–2024)

Button Mash, an arcade bar with a kitchen called Poltergeist run by chef Diego Argoti, anchored 1391 W Sunset Blvd for nine years. It paired vintage arcade games with a full restaurant, drawing Echo Park locals and visitors before closing in September 2024.

Then

The corner went quiet as the space sat vacant through late 2024 and 2025.

Now

The vacancy created the opening for the Ravine Club, which is now building out the same address.

Why this matters now

The Ravine Club inherits the exact storefront Button Mash occupied for nine years. Whether a sports-focused concept can hold the same foot traffic tests the neighborhood's appetite for a different kind of hangout.

Sources

(4)