MARVELOUS MAKEOVER: Dave & Buster’s adds ‘WOW!’ factor
The fully-renovated Dave & Buster’s is located at 19375 Victor Parkway in Livonia.
The remarkable renovation that has turned Livonia’s Dave & Buster’s into a late-winter blues buster couldn’t have come at a better time.
With gray skies dominating the southeast-Michigan landscape since, well, it seems like forever, the longtime fun factory just north of Seven Mile Road (and visible from I-275) recently unveiled a dazzling new look that is four months in the making.
An extensive wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling makeover of the 10-year-old video-game emporium is generating jaw-dropping reactions from patrons who step into the sprawling space for the first time since its relaunch.
“People walk in and they just say, ‘Wow!’,” shared Dave & Buster’s Event Consultant Stacy Volante. “They can’t get over how different and amazing it looks.
‘Store of the Future’
“We’re calling it our ‘Store of the Future’ because eventually all Dave & Buster’s will look like this. This site is the first one.”
Yes, more than 200 high-tech video games (several new machines were added and older ones removed during the renovation) still make up the heart of Dave & Buster’s.
However, visitors’ eyes are quickly drawn to a spacious new dining area constructed on the southeast corner of the facility — with high-definition TVs strategically placed on the area’s walls for the perfect “big game” sports-viewing experience.
A spectacular re-designed bar greets visitors just beyond the entrance and a row of sparkling new high-tech darts and shuffleboard tables (called Social Shuffle!) is aligned along the southwest wall.
Another new attraction is The Arena — a closed-off-with-glass room which D&B bills as “a revolutionary and all-immersive way of gaming for you and up to seven friends!”
Great space for parties
And a collection of kiosks that accept cash and credit cards add convenience for patrons who don’t want to have to chase down an employee or wait in line to purchase game plays on their power cards.
“Our main attraction is still bringing your family to play video games, eat delicious food and watch the game,” Volante said.
“It’s also a great place to host children or adult birthday parties.
“We just renovated everything — from floor to ceiling — to provide a better experience for our patrons.”
The Livonia D&B’s added three creatively-decorated rooms — with sliding walls so the three spaces can be converted into one giant room — for everything from kids’ birthday parties to business meetings.
“We have drop down projection screens, and audio and video equipment for business meetings,” Volante said. “We’ve had businesses like Bosch and DTE host meetings here already.”
Plenty to eat and drink
The D&B craft kitchen offers everything from shareables (including new-to-the-menu pretzel sticks and fried pickles) to salads, wraps, bowls, burgers and entrees like grilled Atlantic salmon and parmesan chicken.
Among the bar offerings are drinks like Captain’s Passion (Captain Morgan rum, passion fruit puree and a fresh citrus mix) and Strawberry Watermelon Margarita (the name speaks for itself) — and several booze-free beverages.
In summation, the renovated Dave & Buster’s is a one-stop space for everyone seeking fun, food and memory-making times with friends.
The first Dave & Buster’s opened in 1982 in Dallas.
As explained on its website, in the late 1970s, Buster opened a restaurant known for its tasty food and friendly service. A few doors down, Dave opened an outrageous place for entertainment and games where adults were irresistibly drawn for fun.
The two young entrepreneurs noticed people rotating between their establishments, and an idea started to form: What if they put both under one roof?
Forty-two years later, the concept is still going strong.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
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