WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — Eager gamers were lined up overnight at Dave & Buster’s Lehigh Valley, hoping to score themselves a pass guaranteeing free plays for a year when the newly renovated location opened.
Only 200 of those tickets were doled out, and by the time the line wrapped around the arcade-restaurant-bar hybrid, all were spoken for.
And those lucky recipients were ready to start using those passes to squeeze in a round of Dance Dance Revolution, Mario Kart, or any of the other numerous cabinets and setups.
The refreshed location — after it opened just 3 1/2 years ago — boasted brand new interactive social bays featuring High-Tech Darts Bays and Social Shuffleboard Bays, more televisions to broadcast more sporting events, a fresh menu and a slick new appearance.
“We've gotten a lot of ‘Wow!’ for it. People are very excited, it’s much brighter, much warmer, much more inviting. You know, Dave and Buster’s has a history of being kind of like a little bit darker inside, but we've changed all that. That's why we're the store of the future."Dave & Buster's Lehigh Valley General Manager Jeffrey Hartwyk
The 30,000-square-foot facility originally opened in 2020 as part of a massive expansion of Dave & Buster’s across the East Coast.
In fact, a newer location is slated to launch in Scranton this spring.
The much-promoted social bays — setups that allow groups of gamers to enjoy a good time in a semi-isolated fashion featuring HDTVs and drink service still were being finished off Friday.
But most people were more than happy to hit up the fairway games with their kids, hoping to score enough tickets for prizes.
'We've gotten a lot of 'Wow!' for it'
Dave & Buster’s New Store Opening Marketing Manager Kelly Valdez said the reopening went well, thanks to the extensive work by the location’s team, who went “above and beyond to set up for a great event.”
“We had, at 9 a.m., we had about 350 people" line up, Valdez said.
“We handed out raffle tickets to the first 200 so that way, they're not stuck in line, they can go use the bathroom, go eat, go make phone calls, go do a Teams meeting, wherever they need to do and then come back and wait for the booklet," of free tickets, Valdez said.
Those who weren’t fortunate enough to get a free game pass received a voucher for a bonus $20 when they purchased $20 on a pass.
General Manager Jeffrey Hartwyk said the response to the promotion was “excellent,” with a “huge response” from the public.
And once those gamers got a look at the revamped location, they were pretty excited, Hartwyk said.
“We've gotten a lot of ‘Wow!’ for it," he said. "People are very excited. It’s much brighter, much warmer, much more inviting.
"You know, Dave & Buster’s has a history of being kind of like a little bit darker inside, but we've changed all that. That's why we're the store of the future."
Hartwyk also pointed out the new social bays were a great option for football fans looking forward to the playoffs.
“It’s a wonderful spot to be able to do that," he said. "Maybe come out with a couple of friends, play some darts, maybe get a beer tower, have some shareable food, and watch a game.”
'She thought I was joking'
Friends Avery Garski and Gabi Gallo said they were enthused to come out on Friday, and even more excited when they got the yearly passes.
“We were intrigued by the ‘first 200 [people] get a full year of free play,'" Garski said. "So we come here enough that we thought it might be worth it this morning to wake up early and come on out, and we were lucky enough.”
“We were intrigued by the ‘first 200 [people] get a full year of free play. So we come here enough that we thought it might be worth it this morning to wake up early and come on out, and we were lucky enough.”Customer Avery Garski
Gallo said, “Our friends and I sometimes come on Wednesdays; we do happy hour and then the half-priced drinks. Nice.
"And now we have free games and just have to pay for the drinks."
Stella DeFelice, 8, who came out to the opening with her father, Frank, said she was “over infinite” excited to be out at Dave & Buster’s.
“[We go] probably, like, once every few months, you know?" Frank DeFelice said. "But we saw everything on the news and instead of driving her to school, I said, ‘Hey, do you want to skip school and go to Dave & Buster’s today?’
"And she thought I was joking."
Even if little Stella had a to wait a bit before getting to play, it sure beat a day in school.
“Yeah. I put my backpack in the car for no reason,” Stella DeFelice said with a laugh, adding she was heading straight for the claw machine as soon as she got inside.
