A staple of Oakland since the 1950s, Jack London Square is a recreation, dining, and entertainment hub located along Oakland’s waterfront. Instead of being a prime destination for tourists and shoppers, Jack London Square faces the alarming crisis of multiple business closures.

Jack London Square’s Waterfront Hotel shut its doors on Jan. 31, after 35 years in business. According to The Oaklandside, Jack London Square has also lost three restaurants and bars since December 2024: Forge Pizza, Left Bank Brasserie, and Dokkaebier Taproom. Other Jack London Square closures include Buck Wild Brewing, which closed in April 2024, and the former headquarters of the Oakland Athletics, which relocated to Sacramento at the end of 2024. With these closures happening so rapidly, some Oakland residents are disappointed with Jack London Square’s current condition. 

“It’s never really reached that sort of critical mass of having that buzz and energy,” said Paul Lacky, an Oakland resident for over 40 years.

High rent costs are believed to be the main reason for the recent closures. “It’s just so expensive for these restaurants to still be operating down here, and it just doesn’t have the foot traffic needed to sustain staying open,” said Kathryn Nassar, who lives in Jack London Square. “I’d hope for some small business assistance for more local places to take up the leases here. Or ordinances around what commercial rent can be in these places,” Nassar added.

Ryan Nelson, a bartender at Jack London Square’s 140-year-old bar, Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon, agrees with the sentiment. “High rent costs would be driving businesses away,” Nelson said, “Since the pandemic, there has been kind of a revolving door in a lot of these storefronts.”

Current listings on LoopNet show that retail leases in Jack London Square range from $24-$36 per square foot per year. The Jack London Square Association, responsible for leasing and property management, did not respond to a request for comment.

There is some hope for the Square! The restaurant-arcade chain Dave and Buster’s plans to open a new location in Jack London Square later this year. “I think they have a good enough brand name that they’ll definitely bring more foot traffic when people wanna hang out nearby or enjoy the waterfront while they’re down here,” said Nassar. 

There is some concern that Dave and Buster’s might negatively impact Plank, a similar restaurant-arcade business already established in Jack London Square. “I have a feeling that either that’s the intention, or Dave and Buster’s intends to attract a different sort of customer base. Plank has bowling, and I don’t think Dave and Buster’s [does],” Nelson said. Plank’s general manager did not respond to a request for comment. 

Although news of the closures is disheartening, there is assurance that Jack London Square will continue to thrive through new arrivals like Dave & Buster’s, and local businesses that already call the Square home, including Heinold’s, Plank, Seabreeze On The Dock, Yoshi’s Jazz Club & Japanese Cuisine, and more.