Paper is up in the windows of Bulldog Sports Pub in Monterey after the bar closed down as of May 11. The closure has left many regulars wondering what happened, less than four years after undergoing a $390,000 remodel. The pub had been in business since 2005.
According to business partner Ash Shoukru, the pub’s lease is in co-owner Mike Joseph Feeny’s name but the business is still incorporated under late co-owner Christine Kerr’s name. Kerr was found dead on Aug. 20, 2023 in her home in the Deer Flats neighborhood of Monterey, following a drug overdose. Shoukru says that because Kerr’s lawyers never filed a probate case, it leaves her estate – including the business – in limbo.
The pub’s lease at its current location, 611 Lighthouse Ave., is set to expire on May 31, leaving Shoukru and Feeny with a limited amount of time to determine what to do next. Feeny is also named on the liquor license according to California Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control records, but Shoukru says that if a lease were to be renewed, the pub would be without an active liquor license for at least 90 days.
In the days leading up to the apparent closure, activities continued as usual. The pub hosted a line dancing night on May 8, where a bartender stated she was aware of the impending closure but unclear about what will happen to the bar’s long-term future.
The pub’s signs and flags have been removed from the building, but Shoukru says he is discussing next steps with lawyers, which may include relocating if they can find a new location.