Dave & Buster's

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (stylized in all caps) is an American restaurant and entertainment business headquartered in Dallas.[2] Each Dave & Buster's location has a full-service restaurant, full bar, and a video arcade, the latter of which is known as the "Million Dollar Midway". As of February 2024, the company has 158 locations in the United States, as well as two in Puerto Rico and two in Canada.[1]

History

In 1982, David "Dave" Corriveau (1951–2015) and James "Buster" Corley (1951–2023) opened the first Dave & Buster’s in Dallas.[3] Corley had previously operated a bar called "Buster's" in Little Rock, Arkansas, next door to a saloon and game parlor called first "Cash McCool's" & then "Slick Willy’s World of Entertainment", owned by Corriveau.[4] After opening Dave & Buster's, the two operated as co-CEOs.[5]

Operations

Food and drinks

Items on the Dave & Buster's menu are offered from early lunch until late night and include pastas, burgers, steaks, seafood, chicken and desserts. The menu is frequently updated to reflect current trends and guest favorites. Some locations serve Sunday brunch. Buffets are available for special events and private parties. All D&Bs offer full bar service.[24] Dave & Buster's is more targeted towards an adult clientele than most location-based entertainment in general, with all guests under 21 required to be accompanied by a guardian and only allowed in until 10 p.m.[3]

Games

Dave & Buster's dubbed their arcade section, which features interactive games and simulators, "Million Dollar Midway".[25][26] In 1997, Dave & Buster's introduced the Power Card, a declining balance card or 'debit card' that replaces traditional tokens and tickets, and is required to activate most arcade games and can be reloaded at so called "power stations". The Power Card is intended to enable customers to activate games more easily and encourage extended play of games to increase customer spending.[27][28] By replacing most coin operations, the Power Card has reduced the technical difficulties and maintenance issues associated with coin-operated equipment. In 2015, Dave & Buster's installed proximity game card readers that allow guests to simply tap on the readers to play.[29] Since 2020, Power Cards have been able to be added to Google Pay and Apple Wallet through the DING DING DING app.[30]

Events and sponsorships

Dave & Buster's is a corporate sponsor of the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. There are screening rooms for every UFC pay-per-view and episode of The Ultimate Fighter. D&B also sponsors the charity Dave Bevans' Children in the fundraising event "D&B for DB's".

Prior sponsorships include a World Wrestling Entertainment match and a 2009 tour by the rock band Bowling for Soup. The WWE match took place on the July 20, 2009, edition of WWE Raw on the USA Network. It is believed to be the first match on any WWE program to have a specific sponsor associated with it.

Dave & Buster's also sponsors postgame reports of San Jose Sharks games.[31]

type	Public
traded as	nasdaq: PLAY
foundation	August 31, 1982, in Dallas, Texas
founder	David O. Corriveau James W. "Buster" Corley
key people	Tarun Lal (CEO)
location city	Dallas, Texas, U.S.
locations	156‡R1R‡
subsid	Main Event Entertainment
industry	Entertainment/Restaurant (Eatertainment)

History

Operations

Food and drinks

Games

Events and sponsorships

International

Current

Former

See also

External links

References