Today we’d like to introduce you to Terry Chiu.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Terry. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Game Haus was created partially out of necessity. My business partner Robert and I used to run a board gaming group and it grew to the degree that we were hosting around fifty gamers at a time but we were always short on spaces to hold our gatherings. Restaurants generally don’t like it if you spend more than a couple of hours at their space (especially with that many people) and large public halls weren’t always available or affordable. We’d heard about the concept of board game cafes that were thriving in Canada and Asia, so we tried to find one locally to visit only to find that such establishments were not yet a thing here in Southern California.
Realizing that we would be on the “first wave” of this type of hybrid business concept, we decided to open such a place of our own. We were not at all sure if we would find an audience but buoyed by our gaming group and also seeking a transition out of our respective career paths, we started our project in late 2012. A year later, Game Haus Cafe was created at the intersection of Brand and San Fernando Boulevards.
Has it been a smooth road?
We’ve been fortunate in that many people have embraced the concept and have become “regulars”, and others have used our business as a way to check out this hobby and the many board games that are available. The only consistent “struggle” (and I’m sure it’s just part of bringing this concept to the area) has been communicating the board game cafe model to our potential audience. Some guests are still figuring out what it is but we’re glad to assist in suggesting titles and giving an idea of the variety of games that are out there. Also, at its core our business is a restaurant, so we devote a lot of energy to maintaining equipment, acquiring staff, keeping up on health code requirements, etc. None of that is glamorous stuff but it’s all necessary in maintaining the quality of the business. It’s not all about board games and we knew that going in.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Game Haus Cafe story. Tell us more about the business.
We put a lot of effort into reaching a wide spectrum of people. We get “hardcore” board gamers but we also get families, people on dates, students, friends out for game night. It can be a little overwhelming looking at the huge wall of games so we put a lot of effort into making the experience user-friendly and not exclusionary at all even if you haven’t tried the newer board games. It’s resulted in many people becoming “repeat” customers and discovering games to a greater extent than if they just wandered around a game store which can be a bit intimidating.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We have many requests from other people who want to open their own cafes so it feels like we may get a second and third wave of game cafes opening which is great. I can see the field getting bigger and the cafes tailoring their approaches to their communities.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1800 S Brand Blvd. #107
- Website: www.gamehauscafe.com
- Phone: (818)9379061
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/gamehauscafe
- Facebook: facebook.com/gamehauscafe
- Twitter: twitter.com/gamehauscafe
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/game-haus-cafe-glendale
Image Credit:
Marcus Anthony Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
