After 1 year of lukewarm reception, Bennigan’s in downtown Sacramento closes

It appears Bennigan’s couldn’t make it in this town.

The downtown location of the bar and grill, the chain’s first in Sacramento, is now closed a little more than a year after it opened, with its website and social media pages deactivated.

Before it was shuttered, Bennigan’s earned mixed reviews among 158 users who rated the experience on Yelp — a mediocre 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Bennigan’s replaced Cafe Bernardo and KBar at corner of K and 10th streets last June. The Cosmo Cafe occupied the spot years earlier.

Bennigan’s is an Irish-American casual pub chain based out of Dallas. It operates about 15 locations in the U.S. Due to a corporate bankruptcy, 150 locations closed in 2008 but franchisee locations were able to stay open.

The Sacramento Business Journal reported this week that a locally owned eatery operated by executive chef Kent Souza will replace the Bennigan’s at K and 10th.

Souza is known for his work with Kupros Craft House, and he was more recently tasked with creating offerings for Hoppy’s Railyard Kitchen & Hopgarden.