By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
The word is out and excitement is building in Hays for the opening of Arcade 11 Bar and Restaurant in downtown Hays, a new establishment that will offer arcade-style gaming for all ages in a restaurant setting.
“We are going to be a full restaurant and full bar,” said Kelly DePiesse, one of the four owners, who also include his wife Sarah, along with another husband-and-wife Tyrel and Jessica Somers.
And the arcade will cater to fans of both classic and modern games.
“We are going to have a pretty good list of different arcade machines.” DePiesse said.
Many of those he said will be the old cabinet-style machines, but some newer machines will be presented as well.
He also said, they have some “surprises” they plan to bring in, as well, and cocktail-type games.
The idea behind Arcade 11 came from the owners own experiences and their desire to see something similar to their favorite locations locally.
“The group of us travel together quite a bit to different things and a lot of times when we are traveling, we are always seeking out different bars or arcades,” he said. “We always really enjoy going to them and we were at one time, like ‘Why not at home?’ ”
And he believes area residents will take to the fresh concept.
“Overall, the business is going to be marketed more toward college students, 30-year olds, 40-years olds and working professionals,” he said. “I think there is a need for it. Everyone from college-age kids to older adults will find something fun here.”
But while the restaurant and bar may shift to an adult-only crowd during the evening, he said during the day the establishment will be family-friendly.
“Having a full restaurant, we are definitely expecting to have full families,” he said. “Throughout the day, we definitely want to be welcoming to everybody and let everyone have an opportunity to enjoy our business.”
Their location downtown also feeds into the desire to open a place locals can enjoy.
“It’s a great location, there is a lot of historical value downtown,” DePiesse said. “There are a lot of great businesses around and we also have the college not too far away and all of the different apartments, sororities, fraternities and whatnot.”
“We are right on the corner of Fort and 10th,” DePiesse said. “Most notably, we are right across from the railroad tracks, just right next to Sip and Spin, right on the corner.”
The establishment will be located at 201 W 10th.
The building has been the home to a variety of businesses including a retail outlet, a gym, a music store and most recently Tang’s Market, an Asian grocery.
“When we got into the building, it was completely stocked full of different merchandise from when Tang’s Market was in here,” DePiesse said. “It was kind of frozen in time, it was kind of apocalyptic looking.”
But the group of owners, doing much of the work themselves, have already removed almost everything from the interior to prepare for the ongoing construction.
“It’s been a process and we are just working on getting the building up to code and getting it cleaned,” Depiesse said. “We are going to be pretty proud once it is done,” he said. “It is going to be pretty sharp.”
Larger scale projects, like replacing the floors are also underway and the roof has already been replaced.
While the owners are hoping to open this summer, their first focus is on creating a venue that people can enjoy.
“We want everyone a good experience in here, so it is important to us to make sure everything is done properly, and everything looks good,” he said. “We don’t want to rush anything.”
Currently, they believe the restaurant will be open before the fall school term begins, but they are hopeful it may open sooner.
“We appreciate the positive feedback and interest we have gotten from everybody in the community, and we ask people to check out the facebook,” he said. “If you want to see something particular let us know…we are always open to ideas.”
More information about the project can be found at the Arcade 11 website and on social media.
