Today we’d like to introduce you to Drew and Courtney.
Drew and Courtney, please share your story with us.
Courtney: Drew was always into board games, and it had never really connected with me. While honeymooning in Toronto, we visited a game cafe where the staff introduced us to some 2 player games, and this time, it all clicked into place for me. The collection started growing as soon as we were back home, and eventually, we realized we wanted to provide the same experience for folks.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Courtney: *Bursts out laughing* “Is just maniacal laughter an acceptable answer?”
Drew: No. I’ve lost track of all the roadblocks we hit while trying to get this place open. Starting your own business from scratch is no easy task but we knew what we were signing ourselves up for when we started. There was a lot of headache and heartbreak, the biggest source of which was finding a location that we knew would work for us and getting a lease signed. Some of the others include: the roof in our apartment collapsing during a major storm and it literally raining directly into our bedroom for the next two months, starting a restaurant in Chicago without the backing of some major industry group and personally loading a 600+ lb. fridge through a door that could barely fit it. We had a ton of support though from friends and family and we have each other. Perseverance in the face of setbacks and hardships has been incredibly important.
Bonus Round Game Cafe – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Courtney: So, the basic model is – cafe with beer & wine, a library of games and staff, “Game Guides” to teach and make game recommendations. In short, it’s for folks who are just looking for something to do with their friends and family, and maybe have a small idea of the board game renaissance happening because they’ve seen new games popping up at Target or Barnes & Noble but don’t know where to start. We help make the board gaming hobby accessible to folks who don’t fit the stereotypical nerd categories and create an environment where it’s okay to not know the hottest, newest games.
Drew: Going further with what Courtney was mentioning, board games can be pretty intimidating for people. They might not be familiar with them and we have such a wide variety of them that it can be a little overwhelming, but that’s where we come in. Being able to introduce people to board games by making recommendations and teaching them the rules has been incredibly rewarding, watching people have that “WOW THIS IS COOL!” moment in real time never gets old.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Courtney: We’re still new as a business, but bringing people together for an afternoon of enjoying each others’ company over a good game and a drink is my favorite thing.
Drew: Opening the cafe is by far the thing I’m most proud of. We had a lot of help but creating something from scratch took a ton of effort. There has been a lot of blood, sweat & tears that went into getting Bonus Round open and the fact that we did it and that people are responding so well to the experience we’re giving them has been incredibly rewarding.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3230 N Clark St, Chicago IL 60657
- Website: http://bonusroundcafe.com/
- Phone: (773) 857-1037
- Email: hello@bonusroundcafe.com
Image Credit:
Sarah Tesfai (four business photos), Andi Ford (personal photo)
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago 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.
