Self-Service

‘Bar arcades’ ride surging demand for social gaming

One of the more recent innovations for restaurants with bars has been the "bar arcade" concept that marries a traditional pub to an amusement arcade.

Image provided by 501 Darts.

November 8, 2023 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

(Editor's note: This is part two in a two-part series on gaming machines in bars and restaurants.)

With more entertainment options available — witness the growth of e-sports, legalized sports betting, etc. — restaurants with bars are finding themselves more challenged than ever to know what games and amusements best meets their customers' needs.

What can't be denied, however, as noted in part one of this two-part series on F&B entertainment, is that bars and restaurants are finding amusement offerings play an important role in improving the guest experience and customer loyalty.

Innovation evolves

One of the more recent innovations on this front has been the "bar arcade" concept that marries a traditional pub to an amusement arcade.

The innovation has taken root in the United Kingdom and has expanded to the U.S., the best known example being New York City based Barcade, with locations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, California and Michigan.

Kevin Williams

"Supporting bar arcades is the 'eatertainment' scene, which mix amusement and attractions," Kevin Williams, a Vending Times contributing editor who focuses on amusements, said in an email. "The hospitality element of bar and fun is a key factor, with the changing pub and bar scene and a new generation audience."

This "eatertainment" scene has been largely fueled by entrepreneurs using frictionless transaction technology, immersive offerings and guest data capture, Williams said. Besides Barcade, he points to Punch Bowl Social, Round1 Bowling & Amusement, Topgolf, Lucky Strike, Kung Fu Saloon, Bowlero, Five Iron Golf and Monster Mini Golf.

Social entertainment drives growth

"Even before the global health crisis, social entertainment was finding a place in the group and audience hospitality scene," Williams said. "Pubs and bars needed to reinvent themselves for the social media generation, looking for physicality from their gatherings and creating moments."

Chris Meyers, owner of Starport Arcade and Pub, a restaurant bar and arcade chain based in Morgantown, West Virginia, has rode the growth of the "bar arcade" movement over the years, now serving more than 300 locations, including breweries, restaurants, bowling centers, movie theaters and more.

A longtime amusement machine route operator, Meyers installed his first "bar arcade" at All Saints Brewing Co. in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, more than a decade ago.

The owner of the brewery initially wanted some games in the taproom. The customers liked the pinball machines Meyers installed and began asking for more of them. There are 12 pinball machines and some other amusement machines in an 800-square-foot space in the taproom.

That location is now creating a 2,800-square-foot dedicated room for an arcade that will include basketball machines as well.

"It's going to be its own space now," Meyers said. "When we can fit the amusements into its own kind of separate space, a subset of the main taproom, that's usually the best way."

Meyers' largest location to date is Helicon Brewing in Oakdale, Pennsylvania, which features 73 pinball machines that take up nearly half of the brewery's 8,000 square feet of space. That location also started out small and began adding machines in response to guest requests.

Technology drives change

Meyers credits much of the growth to evolving amusement technology.

"It's kind of been brought into the 21st Century with technology," he said, such as changing lighting and LCD screens. "The dynamic of how you're playing the game can be completely different from player to player or machine to machine.

"The players are gravitating towards something that's going to be an experience," he said. "That's why you see a big boom in the VR games you have now.

"One of the things that our app tracks is how long the users are in the space. It's very intuitive to go back to the business owner and say 'hey, the real benefit of dealing with us is that we're bringing customers into the space because of the amusements but we're also keeping them here and the cost for being here is a lot higher per draft beer. If you go to the local hole-in-the-wall bar it might be three dollars a draft and here it's like seven dollars."

Jukebox entertainment is unique in that guests can eat, drink and engage in conversation while listening to their favorite tunes. Photo provided by AMI Entertainment Network.

Peter Stearns

Peter Stearns, senior director, Midway operations at Dave & Buster's Entertainment Inc., agrees "bar arcades" are on a strong growth curve.

"There are concepts that have done a very, very good job of gamifying that social experience," Stearns said. "Places are looking to keep up in a very competitive entertainment industry, and the social aspect of that is what you kind of see starting to pop up.

"I think it's a good thing," Stearns said. "It's what the twenty-somethings are looking for. I don't think the twenty-somethings like to sit down in a dining room and have dinner for 45 minutes to an hour. I think it's a very different landscape.

"There are definitely a lot of options out there now and a lot of options coming online within the year," he said. "Everyone has different tastes, and there's something for everyone."

Dave & Buster's, for its part, is introducing Social Bay, a private suite customers can rent for a party of up to six in 50-minute blocks where they can enjoy the latest games.

In addition, Dave & Buster's World on Roblox, a game creation platform, is an interactive and immersive game designed for multi-user experiences enabling friends to play together and connect in a new way.

Patrons enjoy pinball at Noon Whistle Brewing. Photo provided by Noon Whistle Brewing

Meeting guests' needs

Noon Whistle Brewing, a Lombard, Illinois-based brewery that serves food, installed a TouchTunes jukebox, a pinball machine, a Golden Tee golf game and darts games three years ago, most of which are serviced by Ideal Amusements Inc. in East Dundee, Illinois. The machines are spread out across the main service area.

Paul Kreiner

Paul Kreiner, owner, said he recognized the need to give customers freedom to engage in various entertaining activities.

"After COVID, people aren't coming out just to come out any more," Kreiner said. "You have to give them a reason to come out. They're looking for things to do."

Traditional bars are cashing in on the trend as well.

The Glenwood, a Vernon, New Jersey restaurant and English-style pub, recently introduced a game room, The Underground, that includes a darts game enhanced with augmented reality.

Scott Robertson, who co-owns The Glenwood, emigrated from the U.K. where he picked up his love for darts, a growing form of "competitive socializing" that has taken root in the U.K. and Australia.

Robertson's game room features three 501 Darts AR lanes and two additional lanes featuring 501's other darts product, 501 Darts Interactive, with instant automated scoring and video game graphics presented on a big-screen TV.

501 Darts AR automatically scores and projects video game-style graphics directly onto the board itself, transforming the competition-grade dartboard into a screen that reacts to darts thrown in real time. The experience expands the centuries-old game to include younger, tech-savvy players.

The Glenwood has introduced a game room for darts. Photo provided by 501 Darts.

"I've invested in 501 Darts AR because it attracts groups of people and encourages them to play more and spend more time eating and drinking," Robertson said. "Our patrons are floored when they go down into The Underground and see the 501 Darts boards. They're blown away when they play, just like I was."

Sticking with the 'tried and true'

Megan Hill, brand ambassador, HMC Hospitality Group, which operates 22 Hooters restaurants in Chicago and Tampa Bay, Florida, and currently expanding into Las Vegas, takes a more reserved view of the restaurant bar industry's foray into amusements.

Megan Hill

Hill recognizes that amusement technology is evolving. HMC Hospitality Group has introduced game machines to some of its Chicago area locations and keeps an eye on local regulations that govern games of chance.

The company's 22 Hooters restaurants, however, continue to prosper with their standby TouchTunes jukeboxes.

"We have it made with our jukeboxes, with our TouchTunes devices," she said. "The jukeboxes are our main sources of entertainment. It adds to our fun, laid back, that escape from reality environment that we like to provide in our restaurants."

Jukebox entertainment is unique in that guests can eat, drink and engage in conversation while listening to their favorite tunes at the touch of a TouchTunes app, she said.

"The music is always playing," Hill said. "Just being able to interact and pick what they want to listen to makes it more fun. Whether it's a family coming in and their kids want to play. Our staff really enjoys picking the songs too."

Hill is aware of the "bar arcades" but sees them as a different type of offering.

"The customer experience as well as our staff enjoyment is the true benefit of having this product," she said in regard to jukeboxes. "Our staff very much enjoys it, which truly matters, especially these days and especially in the hospitality industry. Employee engagement is extremely important and TouchTunes, it makes them smile."

Headshot photos provided by interviewees and LinkedIn.