• Xulai@mander.xyz
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    2 days ago

    So they’re copying Dave and Busters by trying to become what they should have stayed to begin with.

    Not gonna work. Dave and Busters is terrible.

    But get some cool animatronic shows, .25 cent arcade games from the 80s- 90s, maybe even a few amusement center rides like the old Scandia centers had (go karts, suspended rides, bumper boats, mini golf). THAT would be worthwhile.

    • SheeEttin@lemmy.zip
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      2 days ago

      It’ll work. Millennial nostalgia is a cash cow. There are multiple arcade bars in my area that seem to do pretty well.

      …actually, rereading the article, I don’t see that they’ll serve alcohol. Or food at all, for that matter. And it looks like they’re building them out of empty mall tenancies.

      Yeah, it’s not gonna work.

      • toomanypancakes@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        I go to a local arcade bar all the time (hubs loves Stepmaniax), I see tons of parents taking their kids there. There’s usually people in the bar area if you don’t go at like, 11 am. It honestly seems like a great business plan, new and classic arcade games, catered to both children and their parents simultaneously?

        • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          There’s usually people in the bar area if you don’t go at like, 11 am.

          The comment you responded to literally says that the article makes no mention of alcohol, or even food. So barcades aren’t what you need to be looking at. You need to look at whether standard arcades will work located in old malls.

          And the answer to that is clearly no, because they already failed once and things haven’t changed for that. Barcades work not only because of the games, but the bar. A tiny selection of basic piswasser isn’t going to cut it to attract people.

    • evenglow@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      They need to go the Costco membership route and make it worthwhile. Arcades went out of business for more than one reason.

    • WhatsHerBucket@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      +1 for Dave and Busters feelings.

      If you live in/near a big city, arcade bars are becoming a thing.

      The one I visited was a pretty large place, full of old school quarter arcades and pinball machines. It’s a legit arcade and has 2 large bars to get drinks. Thursday night is free night and you can just go in and play for free!

      E: comma

  • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 🇮 @pawb.social
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    2 days ago

    I’ve been toying with the idea of having my 41st birthday at Chuck E. Cheese just because I think it would be funny. But if they’re gonna add stuff specifically for adults, it loses all comedic value. 😩

  • VitoRobles@lemmy.today
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    1 day ago

    It’s crazy how many cool local arcades exist on the West Coast of the US.

    I lived in the East Coast and they’re all shitty chains like Dave and Busters, selling you $20 microwaved chicken wings and watered down beer, while charging you $3.42 in D&B Fake bucks to play Mortal Kombat 3.

    While West Coast, you spend $10 to play hundreds of SNES games and they give you a bowl of Fruit loops and milk so you can relieve your childhood.

    • gnomesaiyan@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I am done with Dave and Busters. What a shitshow. Some of the machines are always broken, the food is mediocre at best, and I just want to play fun games, not win tickets for shitty prizes. Where are all the real arcade machines?!

  • Gerudo@lemmy.zip
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    1 day ago

    I love my local bar arcade. Flat fee at the door, unlimited play on hundreds of arcade/pinball/midway games. They also have great ciders on tap.

  • blitzen@lemmy.ca
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    2 days ago

    I’ve joked for years they should pivot to legit Michelin quality white tablecloth restaurants called Charles E Fromage.

  • LupusBlackfur@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    JFC…

    Chuck E. Cheese is still a thing?? (Yeah, I have no kids… If I did, they’d be way too old for CEC anyway.)

    🤷