Pomegranate_of_Pain

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. As someone with a passion for gaming (video and board) and who has worked in hospitality for about 15 years, the idea has definitely crossed my mind to open one of these many times.

In Toronto, board game cafes are doing very well. There are a number of very popular arcade bars, and a new 7,000 seat e-sports stadium was recently announced to be completed in 2025. The market for these venues most definitely exists!

What was the biggest challenge you (and your team) faced when opening the bar?

What were some of the things you feel you improved on over the previous e-sports bar that you said had closed after over a year?

What would you change (pandemic aside) if you were to open up a new bar?

That last point is key for bars, it's why 'the wood' or actual bar seating is so important. It allows solo guests (or small groups) to socialize with people around them without the barrier of approaching a 'private' table. This creates an atmosphere of regulars and inclusivity which welcomes people back.

Private tables are equally important for when you've got a group that just wants to do their own thing, but having them be movable instead of booths allows you to accommodate different sizes of groups.

Both of these seem like big challenges once you get computers/consoles and monitors/tvs involved. I took a peak at some of the pictures of your space and it looks like you did a good job trying to address this in your first location.

I noticed a picture of a D&D table on the Instagram. That's actually something that's fairly lacking in terms of bars here in Toronto. One of the board game cafes (Snakes & Lattes, they're alcohol licensed as well) has a few larger tables and one of their locations has a larger table in a more private room that guests can use, your space looks much more attractive with it's TTRPG dedicated table though.

How much use has your D&D/TTRPG area gotten? Does it get used for other purposes? Does the revenue it generate seem to be good value for the space it consumes?