Funny Bone comedy club expanding at old Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach

Brian Reese
·2 min read

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia Beach’s Funny Bone comedy club is moving nearby and adding a “draftcade” as part of a major redevelopment of the former Pembroke Mall.

The move next July will come 20 years after the chain opened at Town Center of Virginia Beach. Funny Bone Vice President Todd Leinenbach says the deal with the new Pembroke Square will keep the club in Virginia Beach for two more decades.

“We love the Town Center and would’ve loved to stay. The problem was they just didn’t have any space for us to expand, to make a bigger showroom and add the draftcade,” said “We just needed to grow and keep those big names coming for another 20 years.”

<em>Virginia Beach’s showroom will look similar to this one at another Funny Bone location (Courtesy of Funny Bone)</em>
Virginia Beach’s showroom will look similar to this one at another Funny Bone location (Courtesy of Funny Bone)

The new space across Virginia Beach Blvd. at Pembroke is set to open in August 2025 and will increase the current seating capacity for the club’s showroom from about 300 seats to roughly 450.

Leinenbach said the added capacity will help bring in even bigger names. Past acts at the club include Sinbad, Mo’nique, Craig Robinson, Steve-O and Bert Kreischer.

“It helps you keep bringing big names, and big names now that maybe haven’t played because maybe the fact we had only 300 seats, maybe they’ll come do five, six, seven shows and now you’re considered a theater almost.”

The draftcade at one of Funny Bone’s other locations (Courtesy of Funny Bone)
The draftcade at one of Funny Bone’s other locations (Courtesy of Funny Bone)

And when you combine the new “draftcade” next door, which will have 48 craft beer taps and more than 40 classic arcade games like Pac-Man and Galaga, the Funny Bone’s overall footprint will grow from about 8,000 square feet at the current location to 20,000.

Leinenbach says the draftcade is a little different that your typical arcade bar.

“There’s no tokens or anything like that. You buy a wristband for $8 of $10 and you play as much and as long as you want.”

Leinenbach started the concept at the company’s Toledo and Kansas City clubs in 2017, and opened a Richmond location in Short Pump in 2021.

“I’ve been doing this for 28 years and it’s one of the best things we’ve ever done,” Leinenbach told RePlay Magazine at the time. “We’ve done stuff like pizza joints, sports bars and blues clubs, but it’s amazing how well DraftCade complements the comedy clubs.”

This comes as the old Pembroke Mall, now called Pembroke Square, undergoes a major redevelopment. There are still retail stores on the exterior of the former mall, but concepts like Funny Bone’s will fill the interior. Residential living and even a hotel are also in the plans.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.