Recently, I visited the new “Dave & Busters” location in Davenport, IA, and I am pleased to say that it was a fairly good experience. There were a wide variety of games to play for all different ages, ranging from younger kids, who are able to play, to adults. Although I did not try the food there, I took a look at the menu and the food on it looked more than what you would expect for an average arcade. There were burgers, wings, appetizers and more. The only negative thing I could say about this experience was the fact that the workers weren’t as friendly as I would have liked.
There were a lot of games with good ticket winning opportunities. One of these included a variety of claw machines where you could either get small toys or a bundle of tickets. But even though there were a lot of these machines, the one that stood out the most was the human claw machine. The fee was $20, and you or your child would get strapped into a harness over a pit of inflatables and someone on the outside would control where you moved and you could grab the kind of inflatable you wanted. I found this to be a unique experience for kids to enjoy, and a way for the company to make a good amount of money. There were also a good amount of sport related games such as soccer, basketball, bean bag toss, and swimming. As far as winning the games themselves, I’d say they were pretty fair, you win at least something in the majority of the games, even the ones people would believe were harder to win at.
I also enjoy that you get a card with a certain amount of points to spend at each of the games and at the end of your time, you can go to the prize center and find out your ticket balance. The only comment I would say negatively about this is that the majority of the prizes require a lot of points, over one thousand, so if you want a decent prize, you’re going to have to go back and spend more money. Other than that, the arcade was a great experience overall and definitely a place to take anyone of all ages.
The dining area was just as big as the arcade, where there was a bar and another section for just dining. The workers would come to sit you at a table and you were able to order your food just like a sit down diner. Through observation, this looked like it was going well. I will definitely have to try the food the next time I go there.
One critique that makes a place the most memorable, to me, is how the staff treats their customers. In my opinion, and the opinion of the family I was with, the workers seemed unhappy to be there. There wasn’t a smile from anyone and they all spoke more monotone. For a place that more or less has a younger target audience, you’d think they’d have more of a welcoming personality. I also would have liked it if they greeted and helped people when they walked in instead of assuming they knew what to do.
Overall, I did enjoy my experience at Dave & Busters, it’s a great place for the whole family to enjoy. I enjoy all of the games and the way things are set up, the dining area is also well set up and enjoyable. The only downside of this place was the potential of good customer service from the staff. I would definitely recommend this to others for a good spot to go on the weekend, birthday parties, or just a place to hang out.
