WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Reboot Arcade Bar is expected to open in mid-February in downtown Winston-Salem, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
The business is a classic ’80s arcade, providing more than 60 1980s and 1990s arcade and pinball machines as well as a full-service bar featuring craft beers and cocktails.
The arcade’s most recent game is from 1993. Among its classic arcade game offerings are Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Centipede and Mario Bros.
Reboot is going into 3,700 square feet previously occupied by The Yoga Gallery at 534 N. Liberty St.
Owner Ian Purdy said that there are a number of arcade bars throughout the country. He said one opened in Chapel Hill in 2015 and another opened in Charlotte last year, but he doesn’t know of any in the Triad.
Purdy, an avid gamer, grew up in upstate New York but has lived in the Winston-Salem area for nearly 20 years.
“I actually hold a world record on an old arcade game called Crystal Castles,” Purdy said. “I got into collecting and repairing arcade games about two years ago.”
A similar arcade-bar is planned for downtown Greensboro. Boxcar, which combines craft beer and mixed drinks with classic and modern video games, is planned to open in a renovated warehouse on West Lewis Street, in downtown’s south side, according to the Greensboro News & Record.