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Adam Robinson

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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by Adam Robinson » Thu Jun 08, 2017 2:35 pm

I like arcade games. I have disposable income. I do not go to malls, ever. I probably will go to D&Bs.

There's many more like me.
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Robin Garr

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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by Robin Garr » Thu Jun 08, 2017 3:47 pm

Thanks for the testimony, Adam, and for correcting all us geezers. :mrgreen: A follow-up, though: What do you think about the food?
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Andrew Mellman

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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by Andrew Mellman » Thu Jun 08, 2017 5:04 pm

James Natsis wrote:[Nobody expects more than an Applebees/O'Charlies type of food experience along with a decent beer or other booze choice---that's it, don't make it into more than that. Dave & Busters is different, but I think the description above depicts it pretty well.

Much like Las Vegas had to reinvent itself beyong gambling, malls need to expand beyong shopping. I think D & B is a great fit for St Matthews mall.


I've been to two Dave & Busters, did not eat (tho it looked as though your comments about O'Charlies/Applebees were right on!), but when I was there the customers were 20-40 year olds without kids, a beer in one hand, playing games with the other, and dropping money like it was going out of style!
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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by Robin Garr » Fri Jun 09, 2017 8:01 am

Some business-oriented analysis of Dave & Buster's business model, from Nation's Restaurant News. It seems that the Mall shop fits right in to their plan to expand only a few very large new operations this year.

http://www.nrn.com/operations/dave-bust ... 68406b23ab
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JustinHammond

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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by JustinHammond » Fri Jun 09, 2017 9:15 am

Adam Robinson wrote:I like arcade games. I have disposable income. I do not go to malls, ever. I probably will go to D&Bs.

There's many more like me.


Been to Recbar?

http://www.recbarlouisville.com/
"The idea is to eat well and not die from it-for the simple reason that that would be the end of your eating." - Jim Harrison

https://www.facebook.com/Louisville-Eat ... 129849554/
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James Natsis

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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by James Natsis » Fri Jun 09, 2017 9:53 am

Robin Garr wrote:Some business-oriented analysis of Dave & Buster's business model, from Nation's Restaurant News. It seems that the Mall shop fits right in to their plan to expand only a few very large new operations this year.

http://www.nrn.com/operations/dave-bust ... 68406b23ab


I'm waiting for someone to come along and build a large inside water park in one of those spaces. We are desperately lacking such a venue for the cold months........hint, hint,..........
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Gayle DeM

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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by Gayle DeM » Fri Jun 09, 2017 10:34 am

World Waterpark is located in West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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Adam Robinson

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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by Adam Robinson » Fri Jun 09, 2017 12:17 pm

JustinHammond wrote:
Adam Robinson wrote:I like arcade games. I have disposable income. I do not go to malls, ever. I probably will go to D&Bs.

There's many more like me.


Been to Recbar?

http://www.recbarlouisville.com/


A great many times. I currently have $80 in Recbar tokens in a cup. :P
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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by Adam Robinson » Fri Jun 09, 2017 12:19 pm

Robin Garr wrote:Thanks for the testimony, Adam, and for correcting all us geezers. :mrgreen: A follow-up, though: What do you think about the food?


I probably wouldn't even look at their food menu. If I go play video games/pinball, I generally am playing a game and drinking beer, often with other people my age doing the same.

Now, if I get there and all they have is Bud Light, I will admit I'm not likely to go back and play much there unless they're the only one with a particular game. :D
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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by Adam Robinson » Fri Jun 09, 2017 12:36 pm

Andrew Mellman wrote:
I've been to two Dave & Busters, did not eat (tho it looked as though your comments about O'Charlies/Applebees were right on!), but when I was there the customers were 20-40 year olds without kids, a beer in one hand, playing games with the other, and dropping money like it was going out of style!


Yup. I'll say, on average, I usually go with one other person to what we currently have in town, sometimes 4 or 5 people. I know our average spend in a night. We rarely eat (though I think Recbar and Zanzibar both have passable to good food), and between games and beer, it comes out about equivalent to a night at Seviche. Games aren't as cheap as they used to be (to be fair, they also tend to be better quality now).

As a side note, if anyone took the 16 Bit Barcade method from Cincinnati and put it somewhere centrally located in Louisville, they'd make an absolute killing. You'd be surprised how many 30 somethings you can bring out to drink overpriced alcohol by making all your arcade games free. Four of us spent about 2 hours beating a free arcade game one night together, which assuming normal beer margins on their part, translated into $40 profit on their part (the alcohol was really overpriced).

I don't think it's a function of my friends list, though possible it's selective bias based on the cost of going to an arcade (that's where the 16 Bit Barcade part is kinda smart), most everyone I know who goes and does that even semi-regularly is in the top 20% of income earners in their respective regions -- or the kind of people most businesses try to attract. When I was younger, while everyone was playing video games/arcades games, it still made you a dirty nerd to admit. That's just not the case anymore. These types of businesses are essentially, if inadvertently, filling that same niche which always existed, but which is now not a niche, as there are entire nations where people follow E-Sports/Games far more than they do any professional on the field sport. Most games now have budgets _bigger_ than the Hollywood blockbusters, and for quite a few, bring in far more revenue (and definitely more profit). And that's starting to creep down to arcade level, too.

If you need any indication of how much money there is to be made here, just go take a look in the obscene increase in price of pinball machines and functional old school arcade games.

I personally think Dave and Busters is not as cool as some of the newer models, but, yeah, all that.
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Robin Garr

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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by Robin Garr » Fri Jun 09, 2017 1:12 pm

Adam Robinson wrote:... I think Recbar and Zanzibar both have passable to good food) ...

Noted, but I have to say this about Recbar: They keep using that word "prime." I don't think that word means what they think it means. :mrgreen:

recbar.png
Grub at Recbar (partial)
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Adam Robinson

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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by Adam Robinson » Fri Jun 09, 2017 2:19 pm

Robin Garr wrote:
Adam Robinson wrote:... I think Recbar and Zanzibar both have passable to good food) ...

Noted, but I have to say this about Recbar: They keep using that word "prime." I don't think that word means what they think it means. :mrgreen:

recbar.png


My understanding, which came from someone whom I believe works in the kitchen, is that they're shortly changing suppliers for their burgers from one of those big frozen trucks to something more local. Person heard me talking about how I tend to know when I ask for a burger a little under medium and they say no, I'm pretty sure the burger came from a place rhyming with Piss Glow. :P

They do make some of their stuff in house, though, to their credit.

I didn't mean to make it sound gourmet, I just think it's a few steps above, say, Applebees for sure.
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Terri Beam

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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by Terri Beam » Fri Jun 09, 2017 7:42 pm

It's an interesting development, but considering the East Enders already have Main Street Entertainment in J-town, I'm not sure how much it will pull from that part of town. The last few times I've been to Xscape Theater, Main Street hasn't been busy at all. We tried it once, and the food and service were bad, just plain bad, even with little to no expectations going in. There's also Malibu Jack's just down the street which may be pulling off the go-kart crowd. I forgot about Renaissance Fun Park until just now. Everything of that nature is east of the Watterson or south of the Snyder (if you consider Kart Country).

Then again this is Louisville, and market saturation never appears to be a factor in decision-making (pizza for dinner, anyone?).
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Re: Dave & Busters coming to Louisville

by Alexis Rich » Sat Jun 10, 2017 8:37 pm

Incredible Dave's was indeed incredible. My siblings and I went there every time my sister came I town so it had to have lasted more than a year. I loved the idea of us hanging out having a beer while the kids played.

I can't believe no one has mentioned Jillian's? It had pretty decent food (a hibachi, no?) with games and of course beer. It closed and died a pretty slow death. It was prolonged with a concert space. So, suddenly there's a need for this now?
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