Game on! Kennewick’s new arcade bar will revive your Pac-Man spirit
One of the most prominent restaurant spaces in the Tri-Cities is set to open as an ‘80s and ‘90s themed arcade bar.
Mike Miller, owner of Proof Gastropub, and his investor partner Gary Grant are targeting a mid-March opening for Level Up Arcade Bar at 1022 N. Columbia Center Blvd.
Level Up will be above Porter’s Real Barbecue and across the parking lot from Proof.
It will feature a full bar and an arcade stuffed with a mix of modern and classic video games. It won’t serve food, though guests will be welcome to bring in food from neighboring businesses or even to have it delivered.
The 2,800-square-foot spot was briefly occupied by Frankenburger’s Fry Lab before it quietly closed along with neighboring Fire & Brimstone Wood-Fired Eatery in mid-2017.
Porter’s opened in the Fire & Brimstone spot last year.
But the upstairs space remained dark despite its high-profile location fronting Columbia Center Boulevard beneath the outsized Toyota Center sign.
Miller said he and Grant are borrowing the concept from similar businesses they’ve seen in larger cities.
He called the blend of a bar and arcade a good fit for the empty space he can see from his third-floor perch at Proof.
Miller, a founder of Stick + Stone Neapolitan Wood-Fired Pizza in Richland, opened Proof in early 2018. He wanted to prove Tri-Citians would embrace local restaurants offering upscale food in memorable settings.
Miller said he’d been toying with various ways to put the former hamburger joint to work.
The ‘80s will be represented by Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, the ‘90s by Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam, among others.
Arcade games, including Skee-Ball, will be featured.
Level Up expects to host group events and tournaments in a space filled with nods to the Cowabunga era.
Icons of the era — think Prince, Hulk Hogan and Steve Urkel — will grace the walls.
Miller, who is 32, said nostalgia for the era is driving the business even if he personally didn’t encounter many of them until after their prime.
“I grew up playing these games to some degree,” he said. “My age group did play these things growing up and we remember them.”
Level Up is chiefly a 21-and-up bar. However, Miller plans to carve out family time on Sundays.
Children would be welcome in the arcade section of the building but adults who want an alcoholic beverage would be confined to the bar.
Miller and Grant are investing personal funds to launch Level Up. They’ve built a new bar and are completing light renovations to the former hamburger spot that includes new decor and graphics. He is waiting for a liquor license and permit from the Benton-Franklin Health District.
Its six-year lease prohibits Level Up from competing with neighboring Porter’s by selling food. But Miller sees the businesses as complementary. Visitors can come, get food or a drink and hang out.
“It’s keeping people here longer to hopefully spend more money,” he said.
Level Up’s expected hours will be 4 p.m. to about midnight on weekdays and 4 p.m. to 1 or possibly 2 a.m. on weekends. Family day would be from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays, either weekly or monthly.
Follow Level Up Arcade Bar on Facebook @Level Up Arcade Bar.
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This story was originally published January 8, 2019 at 6:07 PM.