Dave and Buster's - the New "Place to Be"
Article by: James
Date Submitted: 10.23.01

WHAT SHALL WE DO TONIGHT? It was Saturday night for our thirty-something crowd, and our entertainment options were growing old: dancing, bowling, going to a bar, watching a movie - been there, done that.  Recently, we even went to Chuck E Cheese to break our monotonous routine.  Maybe we should go there again? NO WAY...  You see, there's a new Big Cheese in town, by the name of Dave and Buster's - the Chuck E. Cheese for adults.

WHERE'S THE FUN AT? At Dave and Buster's, an adult can be a kid again (hmm, sounds familiar but modified?).  Located at the Ward Entertainment Center, D&B has a bar and restaurant, billiards and shuffleboard, and features a "Million Dollar Midway."  I skipped the food, grabbed a beer and headed straight for the Midway. I put down $1 for a "power card" (used instead of money and tokens on most games) and added $20 worth of credits (To my surprise, the $20 lasted me the entire night, but we'll get to that part).

THE FUN BEGINS... I was overwhelmed by games of all sorts - big screen video games, pop-a-shot, simulator ride, a shooting gallery, games of skill, and the ever popular skee-ball.  The price of a game ranged from 2-6 credits.  The Alpine Skiing, and Wave Rider simulator games were awesome, the graphics and the motion, really put me in the game.  I watched others Grand Prix race against each other, test their strength, and even Battle Darth Vader and the Dark side of the force.  The video games alone were good, but I soon found myself hooked on games of chance and skill to get tickets redeemable for prizes.  I was hooked on timing the lights just right to hit the jackpot of 250 plus tickets.  I was determined to get 450 in skee-ball and get the 1000 ticket bonus.  I drained long range baskets and took aim in the shooting gallery, all for those tickets.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE BOTTOM LINE... In all, I amassed over six hundred tickets with my $20, and unlike Chuck E Cheese, these prizes were good.  Instead of little plastic airplanes and yo-yos, I could get quality dolls, sports memorabilia, shot glass, boxer shorts, and T-shirts.  If  you saved enough tickets, you could go home with a life sized Bug Bunny Doll, an iron, and even a Fax machine. It wasn't all fun and games though.  I would have liked it to be a smoke-free environment, so I didn't go home smelling like a cigarette.  I was a bit crowded, but I guess that's to be expected for the opening month.  If you want to shoot pool, you better stand in line, because there are only three pool tables there.  Still, I would not hesitate to go there again. So if you're looking to a great alternative to your ho-hum weekend routine, check out Dave and Buster's at the Ward Entertainment Center.  Oh, yeah, what did I redeem my tickets for?  Nothing yet, I'm saving my tickets for the Fax machine.