Interactivity Board Game Cafe | Victoria | 700-block Yates St.

I don't think tournaments was much, if any part of what they wanted to do. It's just supposed to be a place friends can play any of the hundreds of modern board games available, while enjoying food and drinks. Something like Snakes and Lattes in Toronto, which is hugely popular - but then they have a full drinks menu which makes being profitable a whole lot easier. I guess Victoria just isn't good enough to have fun places to go downtown. We need to be perfectly safe and boring.

Well, board games are specifically allowed, noted in the written rules, so there must have been something else that wasn't right.

Sometimes this burden is not met:

Making Sure You Operate Your Establishment as a
Restaurant
As a food primary licensee, you are responsible for operating all areas of
your establishment as a restaurant. That means you must
meet the following requirements at all times:
•
Kitchen equipment:
The kitchen must be fully equipped
(with
commercial stoves and dishwashers, for example), and must be
open and staffed
whenever
liquor is served

http://www.pssg.gov....ood-primary.pdf

The liquor issue is as follows:

1. A Food primary license must have food as the primary focus. A person can play a game while eating, but the moment they stop eating food (and continue the game they were playing) then we would be in violation of the liquor license. We had many conversations with the BCLB including their head Food Primary agent who assured us it was a no go.

2. Liquor Primary is OK, but you cannot combine retail with Liquor (we will sell games) and as we will be underneath a set of apartments, it would be difficult to get one anyway.

Such is life, there will be a review in 2 years of the liquor laws and we will throw in our voice.

Contrary to the non-viable business comment; beer was always going to be nice added extra if we got a license but we certainly were not relying on it. There will be plenty of fun alternatives to beer and wine

Hope to see you Septmeber 1st

Our liquor laws are draconian and incredibly silly.

Thanks for the info Bill. One day we will enter the 21st century, maybe in my great grandchilds lifetime. (Note I have no kids yet).

The liquor issue is as follows:

1. A Food primary license must have food as the primary focus. A person can play a game while eating, but the moment they stop eating food (and continue the game they were playing) then we would be in violation of the liquor license. We had many conversations with the BCLB including their head Food Primary agent who assured us it was a no go.

2. Liquor Primary is OK, but you cannot combine retail with Liquor (we will sell games) and as we will be underneath a set of apartments, it would be difficult to get one anyway.

Such is life, there will be a review in 2 years of the liquor laws and we will throw in our voice.

Contrary to the non-viable business comment; beer was always going to be nice added extra if we got a license but we certainly were not relying on it. There will be plenty of fun alternatives to beer and wine

Hope to see you Septmeber 1st

Here is a suggestion that worked for a friend of mine. Build up a 3/4 wall to make the retail not part of the liquor primary. Do not allow any liquor in this area. Then you can have two businesses. My friend had to do this to be allowed a pool table in his food primary place. PM me if you want a more clear explanation!

City Hall is not going to allow another liquor-primary downtown any time soon.

Here is a suggestion that worked for a friend of mine. Build up a 3/4 wall to make the retail not part of the liquor primary. Do not allow any liquor in this area. Then you can have two businesses. My friend had to do this to be allowed a pool table in his food primary place. PM me if you want a more clear explanation!

Is that how Spinnaker's is allowed to have their souvenir shop?

I agree with VHF, a new liquor primary downtown isn't going to happen soon.

Hmm. An untapped market segment is finally getting some attention across the country. It's not often we see this sort of thing, so we're watching retail history in the making.

I was just in Gothenburg, Sweden and there was a coffee shop like this across the street from my hotel. I thought they were kind of nuts when they told me that the didn't open until 11 AM (I needed 7 AM coffee, thank you), and stayed open late so people could play games. But, lo and behold, I walked by at 8:30 Friday night, and they were packed, and all the tables had games going.

Is that how Spinnaker's is allowed to have their souvenir shop?

I agree with VHF, a new liquor primary downtown isn't going to happen soon.

Yep... its not included in the liqour license red line.

It looks like they are making some progress on this space, which looks to be pretty long and actually quite large. I saw a guy in there putting together a bunch of tables, and there is a very small sign on the door indicating that a board game business will be opening.

I think it's a pretty cool idea, although I struggle to understand how the business model can make any money. The girlfriend and I have gone down to 2% Jazz to play some of their board games, which is not an overly lucrative prospect for that business as we spend $5 on coffee and sit there for an hour playing a game. The board games have drawn us in as customers so in that respect I suppose it does work.

Now open.

http://www.ibgcafe.com/

11am-midnight daily.

So a few of us tried to go this evening to check this place out. Packed. Every table full and they were taking a waiting list. We declined the waiting list and went for coffee elsewhere as it could have been a 15 minute wait or a 2 hour wait. A couple other groups did the same. I really love the idea so maybe we'll have to try on a weeknight.

True, whenever I've walked past the place was buzzing. Now the question is, do they charge an hourly rate for playing a game?

Edit: They charge $5 per person to play games. I wonder if this will be sufficient considering the amount of time a game might last for and one can only drink so many coffees in that time. If people are sitting around for three hours and others are having to walk away this could be problematic for the bottom line.

I have gone and played games for a few hours with a group. Very helpful staff that has a great knowledge of all the games.. They also have a large selection of games and puzzles for sale..

I know this place just opened and has been discussed a bit in the catch-all comings and goings thread but I think it deserves to be pulled out.

 

We walked by this evening and as others have said it was packed.  Looks very cool - modern interior, really well lit, huge racks of colorful game boxes.  It's hard to tell from the pic but most of the crowd is way in the back.  Has anyone actually played a game there and care to comment on the experience?  We're interested in checking it out ourselves.

 

 

Gary, I moved your last post into the thread we already have going

 

Great photo, btw!

I know this place just opened and has been discussed a bit in the catch-all comings and goings thread but I think it deserves to be pulled out.

 

We walked by this evening and as others have said it was packed.  Looks very cool - modern interior, really well lit, huge racks of colorful game boxes.  It's hard to tell from the pic but most of the crowd is way in the back.  Has anyone actually played a game there and care to comment on the experience?  We're interested in checking it out ourselves.

 

I've played there, right when it opened. The guys running it are pretty cool and very helpful, great selection of games, decent prices in the store and a good atmosphere in general. I give it a "thumbs up"

Is there any chance that they could/can ever get a liquor licence?

They are licensed

^Since when?