11:30am | A new restaurant will open soon in the former Gameworks location in the Pike shopping center in downtown Long Beach, according to a Press-Telegram article by reporter Karen Robes Meeks.
The Kitchen Den Bar will open in mid-August, retaining the bowling alley and some of the gaming feel of Gameworks and combining it with upscale family dining. The PT article says that owners will move away from the arcade atmosphere, but also say they will have about 130 interactive games to win prizes. A sports bar will be located in the central arcade area, just like Gameworks had.
That makes sense, actually, because the same executives that ran Gameworks are now leading the Kitchen Den Bar.
Is this good for the Pike? Gameworks abruptly left a few months ago after business had dwindled and though the Kitchen Den Bar says they will focus on a comfortable environment that moves away from the arcade, it will retain many of the gaming features. In the article, the general manager of the Pike is enthusiastic about the Kitchen Den Bar’s arrival, so will this be the centerpiece attraction that the shopping center has lacked – basically since it opened in 2003?
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