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I have been playing around with the idea of opening my own gaming store, focused on table top war games and D&D. However, I want to add to the experience a bit by adding a bar and food options. I am curious what the gaming community wold think/respond to this concept?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts,
Saint

So long as the eating area was clearly marked, and people had the option of a play area without the food.
A bit like how smoking/non smoking sections work.

I like food. I don't want your food left on my cases or dropped on my game because you slipped. If you want to game and eat, fine, but do so at your own table.

I think with this sort of setup you have to think about what kind of food also, as some people won't wash there hands even after eating greasy food :(

And with some of the models being expensive and taking possibly 5 or more hours to paint (not excluding some expensive books along with them), foods need to be well thought about.

Personally I would stay away from foods like hot chips, pizza and well anything deep fried. ( deep fried food being cooked in the store will cause damage to books and painted models over time)

Sandwiches and biscuits with dips are better for that environment, and drinks in a can or a bottle are far less dangerous than in a open glass also.

It also depends a lot on custermers, you may find that your usual after hours custermers are fine with any food why during the day you can't serve anything more than dry biscuits :(

Otherwise, we used to serve coffee, tea and hot chocolate as well as above with little issue.
You can also prepare sandwiches in the morning.

I'd say tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sandwiches, biscuits?

a well-stocked vending machine of cans will always go very much appreciated during long gaming sessions, and attract/keep customers.

food's a little trickier, as most common party/snack food often falls into the "greasey/crumb-leaving" category

if you have space, designated food areas are a must. if you don't, make sure you have spare gaming tables to cover ones that get damaged so you can swap them out for cleaning/repair

Either way, make sure it is ENTIRELY clear that touching other people's models is unacceptable, but you take no responsibility for damage to people's property if they choose to game in your store. should cover you. Make sure insurance covers you too

I think it works well at Warhammer world and at Wayland Games, no reason it won't work elsewhere.

Additionally from my own experience food and particularly drinks have good to large profit margins on them that will back up a games operation quite well. The last pub I worked in was making something like 400% on every drink poured from a soda gun.

Down side you need tip top cleaning regimes. Eating areas, kitchens and waste storage areas quickly become very smelly and unhygienic. You will also have additional overheads from licences and environmental health/local authority considerations.

TLDR good synergy with a games operation, you just need to manage it.

Also worth considering the obvious questions about what facilities a store selling food (as opposed to packed snacks) might have to offer and do in terms of toilets, health inspections, separate kitchens, staff training, hand washing sinks etc

It's probably a good idea IF you and your staff are prepared to police it properly, as said above letting food into the gaming area should be a no no or you'll end up with terrain/minis etc covered in food no matter how careful the gamers are (and there will be plenty who aren't careful at all), and getting food onto stock will devalue it

Well, we usually order pizza during apoc games.

My immediate thought was 'touch my figures with greasy fingers and I will fething end you.'

WHW does not allow glasses, breakable plates or glass bottles into the playing area.
Everything in the gaming area must be paper, plastic or in take out bags.

And 5 hours? I'm a medium range painter and some of my HQ models are in 15-20hr range.
I'd be livid and I'm not even a commission painter.

Personally, I would recommend against it.

You're going to be opening a FLGS, which can be hard enough to get a good business off the ground. Tacking on a restaurant/food option, which is a notoriously hard and cutthroat industry, would probably be a fast way to ruin your finances.

Milkshakes are awesome wargaming food. I've gotten in the habit of getting a milkshake before every game now. Keeps the hunger down and since it's a drink, doesn't hurt the throat after a lot of talking. It ends up being my dinner more often than not for a six hour block of gaming,

On a more constructive note, a well-stocked can fridge is worthwhile, as is a selection of chocolate and biscuits.

Personally, I like the idea.... It just greatly depends on what sort of food is available.

I mean, I wouldn't want to be getting a New York Strip and baked potato.

As others have mentioned, in a gaming set up, it would be preferable to have "clean" foods from the gamers' perspectives. Otherwise, a true pub set up may be cool, where the tables have a sort of rack/bowl thing where players can put character sheets and roll dice just a bit away/around their food.

 RivenSkull wrote:
Personally, I would recommend against it.

You're going to be opening a FLGS, which can be hard enough to get a good business off the ground. Tacking on a restaurant/food option, which is a notoriously hard and cutthroat industry, would probably be a fast way to ruin your finances.

On the same note, I've seen places that would have gone away actually do pretty well by selling stuff that's prepackaged---from sodas to chips and candy bars.
Many have been the times I would have made snack purchases when what they had on the shelves gaming-wise just didn't suit.
Many public health jurisdictions have minimal health inspection requirements for pre-packaged stuff. Often you just pay a license fee and just make sure you have the place clean.
It's when you start cooking and/or have things that are potentially hazardous foods (usu. things with animal origin like dairy, eggs, meat, cheese) that you open yourself to tougher regs.
Checking with your local health department is a good first research step.
Additionally, while folks will buy their games and associated stuff for cheap online it's a lot easier to enforce a no-outside-food policy than no outside games.
Even if you don't get a wholesale account for sodas and the like, you can still make a profit by reselling stuff bought in bulk.

I'd second the vending machine idea. Takes both minimal along with non-dedicated space and offers something quick and easy to grab.

A sandwich bar might be something to look at, it produces crumbs but offer some good wrapping and it's easier to keep it to a minimum. It's also possible to create a good variety from basic sallad and ham to something more advanced. Sandwiches are also friendly for say vegitarian options and the like.

Thanks to everyone who responded as your thoughts have been helpful. It seems, correct me if I am wrong, the concept is not a turn off, but the risk to the miniatures is; which is understandable. You put your heart into something and someone with greasy fingers messes it up, you are going to be pissed. Given the fear of damage, alcoholic drinks would not be wanted in such a venu.

If this helps the current location I am looking at is 6,675 square foot, single floor building, that use to be a restaurant and has tons of parking.

As for the food, a vendening machine probably would not cut it as it is located next to a mall which has food courts and other fast food restaurants within walking distance. In hind sight I should have probably included that in the original post. So food that is not "quality" or intising would probably be a waste of space. So I am still unsure of a menu, but it seems sandwiches made to order with a decent selection of drinks might do well

Done properly, food can be great, and could add a significant amount to your revenue. As others have said, it needs to be handled very well, as you will essentially be running two businesses simultaneously. Whw is an excellent model on how to manage such an environment, I've enjoyed many a greasy burger there, and never had a problem with people not washing their hands. It would be a lot of work, you could sub contract out the space and take rent from it to minimize your workload, whilst still providing the service.

I think that sounds awesome!

How many tables will you have?
Do some maths.
if you have 10 tables that's 20 potential covers in the afternoon and 20 at lunchtime. So 40 potential covers daily.
Let's say half the gamers eat at $10. $200.
If your food has 50% mark up. You make $100.
Will that pay for a chef or second staff member?
At that scale it seems pretty tight if you're doing hot cooked meals.
I'd go for premade sandwiches, pasties, pies etc that the customer can just get from a fridge and pay at the counter.

I am an owner of a restaurant. Let me give you some advice. DO NOT go with cooked food. Assuming you are in the US there are so many hoops you have to jump though for that.

There is a clear distinction between "restaurant" and "a place with vending machines". When you have a restaurant, you have to deal with so many other entities you will wish you hadn't done it. You will need A LOT more space than you think you will. You legally need a minimum of a three-compartment sink and a separate sink for hand washing, plus a bathroom sink. Much of your appliances MUST be restaurant grade (a $400 oven/range from a department store won't cut it) You need at least one staff to be Food Safe certified, you deal with the health inspector, you need a completely different business license, you might be limited by zoning regulations, if you have part-time help there are different laws for hiring teenagers, you have to have emergency procedures posted, body fluid clean-up plans posted.

In the end, your profits are still razor thin. Just get vending machines and call it a day. I'd say one for soda/juice, one for candy/chips, and perhaps one that has ready-made sandwiches. Perhaps a Microwave too.

 cuda1179 wrote:
I am an owner of a restaurant. Let me give you some advice. DO NOT go with cooked food. Assuming you are in the US there are so many hoops you have to jump though for that.

There is a clear distinction between "restaurant" and "a place with vending machines". When you have a restaurant, you have to deal with so many other entities you will wish you hadn't done it. You will need A LOT more space than you think you will. You legally need a minimum of a three-compartment sink and a separate sink for hand washing, plus a bathroom sink. Much of your appliances MUST be restaurant grade (a $400 oven/range from a department store won't cut it) You need at least one staff to be Food Safe certified, you deal with the health inspector, you need a completely different business license, you might be limited by zoning regulations, if you have part-time help there are different laws for hiring teenagers, you have to have emergency procedures posted, body fluid clean-up plans posted.

In the end, your profits are still razor thin. Just get vending machines and call it a day. I'd say one for soda/juice, one for candy/chips, and perhaps one that has ready-made sandwiches. Perhaps a Microwave too.

Since the OP later posted that the space he's eyeing is 6600+ sq. feet, and was previously a restaurant..... Do you think it'd be easier to "shoehorn" a gaming store into a restaurant?

Would he be under the same "stuff" if all his food was pre-cooked and by "hot food" it meant heated up in a microwave? (kind of similar to a number of bowling alleys in my area)

Jurisdictions will vary but if it's potentially hazardous food (usually things that have animal origin like dairy, eggs, meat) he's going to have a lot more scrutiny. Checking with the local public health dept is key to making that plan.

Regarding vending machines, I've been in jurisdictions where store staff could sell pre-packaged food and drink like soda, chips, and candy bars with minimal headache between the store and the health department. That prevented them having to buy/maintain vending machines. Again each health department/state will regulate how they view that stuff.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

Since the OP later posted that the space he's eyeing is 6600+ sq. feet, and was previously a restaurant..... Do you think it'd be easier to "shoehorn" a gaming store into a restaurant?

Would he be under the same "stuff" if all his food was pre-cooked and by "hot food" it meant heated up in a microwave? (kind of similar to a number of bowling alleys in my area)

It all depends on the local laws, but yes, selling pre-packaged foods will be much less hassle than trying to do foods that need to be prepared. Vending machines might actually be too much too, if you can get away without having them. If he could do it, I'd basically have a selection similar to a gas station refrigerator snack section. Prepackaged candy bars, cookies, sub sandwiches, cheese sticks, soda, energy drinks.

Trying to shoehorn a gaming store into an otherwise functional restaurant is going to have two businesses that don't do well.

Alternatively, if the conditions are right, try to hook the store up with existing local businesses. Have a list on the wall (and possibly map) of all the surrounding restaurants, and snack providers with addresses and phone numbers listed. They may even be willing to give customers a discount for repeated business.

Most places I've seen that do games and food tend to have a food area which is handy, and it's usually just a panini machine and possibly a frier for french fries, then sodas, chips and candys.

With panini's/sandwiches if you don't pre-make them you should be able to cater for most needs with minimal space (a few tubs of pre-made filling and some salad and you're sorted).

Definitely stock plenty of drinks, and have a food/table policy. But make sure you're competitive with local venues - if you charge way more than the store next door, you might find a lot of people will bring food in.

The regulations on establishments with food and licensing needs can be cost prohibitive. You might need certain flooring, lighting, and other things that you wouldn't expect.

Talk to your local chamber of commerce or Small Business Administration early to help avoid some of that. however, you may also need to talk with the local government officials and inspectors.

Misread the title as 'Gaming with Food' and thought you were onto something there.

Separate food area is a must - on top of licencing issues you'll also have issues such as hygiene of the playing area and worse yet - if food traces are left behind that are allergens, another innocent player may end up in anaphylactic shock because the table is dirty.

If you are capable of putting in a bar you might as well make it a bar with something like game nights or separate area for that.

I believe there are already bars and restaurants that cater to gaming and board-game type people so i dont see why its not possible.

id love to see a themed medieval pub that serve beer and meat while playing DnD or pathfinder.

just dont expect it to be easy or anything

If your proposed location is near other food outlets then I'd most likely skip any food options.

However a chiller unit or vending machine with canned drinks and water would most likely do okay, given most gamers chronic caffiene and sugar addictions usually mean they'd rather pay a few cents more for a drink right now rather than break the flow of a game to amble to the food court and back

At one point the owner of Dragon's Keep in Provo UT bought a pizza place that would offer free delivery and a discount to anyone ordering at the store. Most nights a good number of people were ordering pizza. On weekends with events there would be deliveries every hour or even more frequently.