One of my dad's bank customers opened an arcade for ***** and giggles back in the 80's, on West Westheimer next to a movie theater (Windchimes iirc maybe). He surprised me and 20ish of my friends with a movie and sleepover at the arcade next door birthday party when I was 12 or so. I thought I was a god and everybody else thought so to for a few days. Best birthday party ever, waaaay better than the Dairy Ashford Roller Rink
Ooooh haha, yah makes more sense now, I was thinking more like babysitting fees in there. My parents in the 80s probably wouldn't throw me something like that but... I can see some my other friends being able to pull that off. I was just happy to find an arcade when I got older/in HS that would do a $10-15 all you can play on Wednesdays after like 4pm (iirc). Usually a group of my friends would just run through long sessions of various games each week. We kept that up for a bit after school. I was living in Austin by then though so doesn't count for this thread, haha.
Not sure if it was mentioned in this thread already but did anyone go to Big Texan Lanes on 45 and Little York?
It made a profit. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-05-09-ca-33044-story.html Box office ended up at 17m and it surely made a lot in rentals. Not a smash hit but he didn't lose his shirt.
^^ We drove down after Ike to do a live broadcast. It was about 1am and we were driving down the gulf freeway and it was pitch black due to electricity losses and the curfew. We drove by a strip mall and there was this 1 business with lights on in a 10 mile radius. It was Shipley donuts. It was like a mirage in a desert. there are no 24 hour donut places in DFW, so it was just a reminder that for a brief 24 hour period, I was home.
