Dave Busters To Open Venue In Its Little Rock Birthplace

LITTLE ROCK, AR -- Dave & Buster's is coming home. While the concept for the celebrated amusement machine and restaurant chain originated here, it has never had an official location in Arkansas. That is about to change with a new 30,000-sq.ft. facility.

Tentatively scheduled to open on June 13, the entertainment center will be located at 10900 Bass Pro Pkwy. in Little Rock, near Interstates 30 and 430.

The new facility marks a significant homecoming for the amusement giant. The company's winning concept was famously conceived in Little Rock when restaurateur James "Buster" Corley joined forces with Dave Corriveau, who operated Slick Willies' World of Entertainment, an amusement arcade next door. The model of combining an amusement arcade and a restaurant was destined to take off, just not in Arkansas. The fledgling Dave & Buster's enterprise opened its first location in 1982 in Dallas, where it also maintains its corporate headquarters, and became a nationwide phenomenon.

While the company initially cited limited population density as a factor for not opening in Arkansas, it is also notable that the state had restrictive laws when it came to redemption: prize values were limited to $12.50. That changed on April 7, 2015, when state legislators passed a bill to increase legal prize values to $500 in facilities larger than 25,000 square feet in counties with a population of 350,000 people or more. The new law also requires that these facilities offer full-service food menus. The typical Dave & Buster's location can usually meet these conditions.

In addition to featuring the company's famous coin-op game midway and prize redemption center, the new Little Rock venue will seat up to 300 people in its restaurant and host a sports bar.

Dave & Buster's currently operates 82 centers in North American. It plans to open about 10 stores this year, in addition to its first one in Arkansas.