Board game cafes double down on Waterloo Region

CTV Kitchener: Board game cafes Two board game cafes are about to open up shop in Waterloo Region. Abigail Bimman finds out why their owners think they’ll catch on.

Board game cafes are popping up in Toronto and elsewhere, and now Waterloo Region is getting into the act with a double feature of its own.

Games on Tap plans to open soon on Weber Street North in Waterloo, while The Adventurers Guild is readying a space on Ontario Street in downtown Kitchener.

Both expect to be ready for customers by the end of the month.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of board game cafes, they’re more or less exactly what they sound like – a place to grab a snack and a drink, relax, and play board games with friends (or strangers).

At The Adventurers Guild, co-owner Ryan Leandres estimates that the business contains 400 to 500 board games, all ready to take out of the box and enjoy – as well as a selection of video games.

“If you’re confused and don’t know what game you want to play, we can start you off,” he says.

Helpful staff are also a feature at Games on Tap.

In fact, with liquor licence applications in the works and $5 playing fees, both businesses seem to be following the same blueprint.

That may not be a coincidence.

Owners of both cafes say the region has a large gaming community, and Leandres suspects he wasn’t the first to think of bringing that community together.

“Whenever we tell somebody about the game café we’re opening up, they say ‘Oh, I was going to do that! Good for you!’” he says.

Both businesses have a wide variety of games to offer, from popular classics to European and European-influenced games that have risen in popularity in recent years.

“I would actually suggest that everyone likes a board game; they just don’t know what game it is yet,” says Daryl Andrews, who will work at Games on Tap as a ‘board games expert.’

As for concerns two board game cafes opening at once will oversaturate the market, neither Andrews nor Leandres sees that as a concern.

“You can enjoy them both,” says Andrews.

“I think people will be surprised how busy these places will be.”