Pubs with games

All types of games are making their way into the restaurant and bar scene, adding a new dimension to the dining experience and keeping guests in their seats longer so they end up spending more! Games are not only fun attractions and promotional opportunities, but they can also build a bond between staff and guests, and help occasional patrons become regulars.

Take a look at some popular gaming options and how some restaurants with games are already using them to their advantage. Then, think about which ones might be a good fit for your clientele, and your overall brand.

There are a variety of games you can bring in-house, depending on how much of an investment you want to make. You might keep it simple by putting in a couple of billiards tables or hanging a couple dart boards. There are even plenty of simple games that bartenders can play with customers, like dice games or trivia. For more spontaneous fun, you can stack some board games for your customers to grab at their leisure, or put out dry erase boards for some Pictionary.

Get inspired by what some pubs and restaurants with games are doing well. If you have a family-friendly establishment, go beyond handing kids a couple of cheap crayons, and go all in on games.

All you need is a small area and an entertaining staff member or two to turn your restaurant into the most fun place ever! Caveat : table bar games are a good option for large bars. Smaller bars may benefit from using that space more efficiently by providing more space for customers to sit or gather. For larger parties, easy board games are a great way to get everyone engaged and create a social vibe.

One of the most iconic bar games, darts are a cheap alternative to the table games mentioned above. As long as your bar has enough space to provide a shooting range, renting out darts can provide your customers with a great time — or a hilarious time for those who are less coordinated. Another cheap option for a more spacious bar - or for special events - is cornhole — otherwise known as tailgate toss, bean bag toss, bags or corn toss. All you need is a board and some bean bags. Tip: Cornhole is also a big hit at bars that have an outdoor space or patio.

You can also gamify the drink-ordering experience by providing a Wheel-of-Fortune-inspired roulette wheel at the bar. Each slice of the wheel can be dedicated to a unique drink concocted by your bartenders, so indecisive or adventurous customers have the option of spinning the wheel to try something fun and new.

Get creative! Tip: Bar Roulette can be a great way to promote new drinks or items your customers may not know you offer. Photo booths are a great way to not only get your customers excited, but also to generate some organic marketing. Crokinole is similar to carrom in that you play by moving discs on a wooden board into strategic scoring and defensive locations.

Learn it: An overview of Crokinole. Like some of the games mentioned in the previous section, traditional pub games include international game designs that have been popular for centuries. This game is played on a board, approximately twenty inches by fourteen inches. This is a game of elegant simplicity. And you can still find it in some English pubs. Boards can be made of teak, mahogany, slate or even marble. A miniaturized version of the traditional game of Skittles or Nine Pins, the game of Table Skittles was first played in bars and pubs during the 18 th century.

There are 9 pins positioned on a small square platform. And a pole in the corner with a ball hanging from a rope. The ball is swung from the pole, so on its return it hits the 9 pins on the platform.

You get three efforts per turn, with a maximum score of 27 points. Played on a board with three concentric squares, and 8 points on each square, you win when your opponent is either left with no legal moves, or only 2 remaining men. Mancala is played on a special board using marbles, or similar game pieces, that are deposited in small pits during each turn. Learn it : A guide to Mancala, with Kalah rules and a summary of game variations.

Learn it : An overview of Shut-the-Box, with general rules and different ways to play and keep score. Card games provide an endless number of options to play games at the bar with your friends. The following are some of our favorites. Cribbage was a popular pastime among soldiers, sailors and fishermen dating back to the 17 th century.

And still, Cribbage is a simple, fast and entertaining bar game for the 21 st century. Cribbage is a card game played with a board that typically has either 61 or holes used to keep track of points. The game moves quickly, with hands that can tally up to 15 points or score for pairs, triples, quadruples, runs and flushes. It can be played with 2 or more players. Learn it : How to play Cribbage, a classic card game that never goes out of style.

Spades is a classic trick-taking card game played with two teams of two. And you must always follow suit if possible. Spades is played over several rounds, with dealers rotating after each round. If you have 4 people and some time to kill, this is a fun one. Learn it : How to play Spades, the classic trick-taking card game for 4 people. Hearts is a fun and easy card game for the bar that is ideally played with a group of 4.

Like Spades, Hearts is played over a series of rounds, with 13 hands played by each player per round. In Hearts, you must always follow suit if you can, with the goal of having the fewest points in your hand after each round. Learn it: A quick overview of how to play the game of Hearts.

Party of Two? Not to worry. Check out one of these 2-player card games. Gin Rummy is played over several hands, where each player draws and discards cards by laying out matches of 2 or 3 cards, working their way towards the points goal i. If you need a refresher on how to win at this game, check out these gin rummy tips and strategies. The objective of this game is to be the first player to score points. This is done by discarding all of your cards and earning points corresponding to the value of the remaining cards held by your opponents.

Learn it : How to play Uno. Table for one? Check out one of these fun single player card games. Learn more : The best adult card games for your next game night. Dice, tile and stacking games are some of the most popular games around for all ages. These are the essential game pieces for a huge variety of strategy games, building block games, word building games, games of chance, and much more.

Below are just a few of our favorites. A set of Dominoes is like having a deck of cards. You can use the game pieces in countless ways — anything from simple block games, to scoring and trick-taking games.

A fun way to play is with two players: each player gets 7 tiles, and you take turns matching dots on the open sides, trying to become the first player to lay all 7 pieces to win a round. Another fun way to play is Mexican Train dominoes. Bananagrams is a fast and fun word-building game that you can play anywhere, including a bar. You just need the tiles and some creativity.

A good vocabulary helps too. This game works well with anywhere from 2 — 8 players. Learn it: How to play Bananagrams. London Shuffle. Plus, it gets even better, because the game is served with pizza, beer and cocktails.

The Bletchley. Designed to test your deduction and problem-solving skills, The Bletchley calls on you crack codes, using WW2 Enigma machines and protocols, in order to unlock different cocktails.

The Aeronaut. While our last bar took you back in time, the Aeronaut takes you into the future. This bar lets you and your friends battle aliens, destroy spaceships and save the Universe, all thanks to Virtual Reality headsets.