With hindsight, it was perhaps a little premature for a new arcade and bar to open in Southington, Connecticut, US, in January. The GameCraft venue was promptly closed down because of the pandemic in March, but last week had a second launch.
Owner Brody Marion told a local newspaper: “We had to close for five months so right now we have been closed for twice as long as we have been open. That as already a big impact for us, being able to only operate for about 10 weeks before being forced to close.”
The venue has had to start serving food in order to comply with reopening conditions, a factor that has hit many Florida bars in a kind of loophole that permits reopening but with strings attached.
“It was a big challenge, finding a way for us to get food into the place even though we don’t actually have a kitchen,” said Marion. “There were requirements that were given to us by the state that we had to follow and it took time for us to find a solution.” This was to team up with a local café next door.
At the same time, 15 arcade games have been removed from the location to make sure of social distancing and barriers have been erected between games.
