Marshall Chiles Opened New Whiplash Comedy Club
The new Atlanta venue at Ponce City Market features two performance rooms designed for a more comfortable comedy experience.
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Comedy
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Marshall Chiles has opened the Whiplash Comedy Club within Atlanta's Ponce City Market. The venue is situated upstairs from City Winery in a space previously occupied by a restaurant.
Why it matters
The owner aimed to establish an upscale comedy destination that prioritizes comfort and space, addressing common complaints about cramped seating in traditional venues.
The new facility features a 130-seat Main Squeeze room and a 40-seat Side Piece room, with plans to host up to 24 events per week. Marshall Chiles brings 16 years of experience managing the Laughing Skull Comedy Club to this venture.
The players
Marshall Chiles
He is the proprietor of the Whiplash Comedy Club and a veteran comedy venue operator who previously led the Laughing Skull Comedy Club for 16 years.
The details
Located upstairs from City Winery, the club utilizes two distinct rooms to facilitate daily comedy programming. The layout was specifically engineered to provide an upscale, spacious environment that departs from standard comedy club limitations.
Timeline
Whiplash Comedy Club launched on Monday, October 12, 2026.
Industry Dynamics
The opening of Whiplash signals a broader shift in the comedy industry toward upscale, hospitality-focused venues that prioritize patron comfort over density. This positions the club as a modern competitor in the Atlanta performance market, moving away from the traditional, cramped club model of previous decades.
Local patrons now have access to a daily rotation of comedy events at the Ponce City Market location. Guests can choose between the larger Main Squeeze room or the more intimate 40-seat Side Piece room.
The takeaway
Visitors to the venue should note the two-room structure, as programming may vary between the larger and smaller stages. Attendees can expect a more spacious atmosphere than traditional venues as the club ramps up to its target of 24 shows per week.
Further reading
For more on the local performance scene, visit the Atlanta Comedy section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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