This place isn’t local but I always have such a great time since Austin gained a franchise in 1999 that I have to make a plug for it. If there’s one in your city, I highly recommend an evening at the D&B (as my friends and I call it).
What is it exactly? Think Chuck E. Cheese for adults but it’s more in the PG-13 realm because there’s no nudity like Las Vegas. As an eatery, it’s a restaurant/bar in the Chili’s or Bennigan’s price range, selection and quality. The star attraction is obviously the place’s Million Dollar Midway populated with video games, skee ball, pool hall, shuffleboard, hoops games and other ticket dispensing games. To play the games you have to acquire a Power Card which stores your points (money) on it. Admittedly, the games are more expensive to play there than say Einstein’s on the Drag (the only arcade left in the area) but try to get permission to drink your beer while you’re taking on the zombies hordes in House of the Dead IV. There’s a silver lining to the D&B’s Power Card for those who frequent the establishment. After purchasing/spending 1500 points, you get promoted to the Gold status and you “pay” less per game. I finally achieved this status last Summer so my card hangs in there longer when I take Landon and Madison (Hunter and Wyatt will get their turns soon).
I readily admit that this place doesn’t necessarily sound impressive. The arcades I grew up with have gone extinct since home-gaming consoles are cheaper per play and the caliber of the graphics are equivalent (unlike the disparity between Atari 2600s or NES and the real thing back in the 80s). Buying a sixer of Shiner Bock while spending an evening with the PS2 is also more cost effective. Well, after 10 pm all children have to go home. I think young adults between 16-20 are allowed to stay, only if escorted by someone over 21 (I’ve also heard 25+). As much as I enjoy my nephews and nieces’ company, Nickelodeon, etc., there should be some sanctuaries for adults only. They also carry some games that consoles can’t do yet: my favorite is this boxing game with one-pound gloves and motion sensors to simulate a match. It’s a serious workout. Doing Bugs Bunny moves against even the easiest foe isn’t recommended neither.
Madison & Landon showing approval of D&B.
Of course children love this place. When Landon and Madison come to Austin, their mother (Yvette) allows Uncle Steve (or somedays, Uncle ATM, but that’s my fault) to take them to D&B for lunch and games. Landon is ape over the tickets. They also get a break there. Whenever I go with friends or my wife, all the tickets were rack up are placed on their cards. My friends Tony and Gerald have been very generous to donate theirs too. So these tickets can then be used to buy prizes at the Midway Store. Most of it is stuff you could buy cheaper elsewhere instead of playing skee ball continously for a week (which I explained to Landon as he lamented over not having 44,000 for a PSP). The recent trip did result in me cajoling them into using their points to buy souvenirs for their parents (easy sell for Madison, more on par with the recent NHL CBA for Landon).
Lately, they haven’t really stayed on top of the video games but I think that is more of an industry problem. Personally, I think they should bring in more pinball machines because the Sharper Image sells awesome ones. Shortly after New Year’s they installed this trivia game with a game-show layout. There are six seats. Each seat has three buttons (A, B, C) for the “contestants” to answer with. Its questions are Trivial Pursuit caliber for difficulty but it’s more timely on the entertainment section. The more players involved, the bigger the amount of bonus tickets awarded to the winner who answers all five questions correctly the fastest. I am just a trivia freak (which people confuse as knowledgeable) so you know several rounds of playing this are mandatory. What’s my record? I lost track of my actual Win-Loss ratio yet I can confidently say it’s over .500. I usually get smacked on sports and popular music. When I played with the kids, if I knew the answer, I told them so we could all feel smart. Madison even saved my bacon on a question about Madonna’s first album but she later admitted to it being a guess. I told her it was okay, I lucked out on the Troy Aikman question too.