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Dave & Buster’s to relocate from Ward to Ala Moana Center
By Jenn Boneza,
2024-08-14
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A popular venue for families is making a big move next spring.
Dave & Buster’s is leaving Ward Village for Ala Moana center — taking their “Eat- Drink- Play” business to the next level.
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It may not look like much now, but in roughly eight months this empty space — once the home to Shirokiya in Ala Moana Center — will be transformed into Dave & Buster’s 2.0.
Andrew Shimabukuro, managing partner at Dave & Buster’s Honolulu, said everything is going to be brand new and top of the line.
“It will be something huge that we haven’t seen, like I said, in the 24 years we’ve been here,” he said. “We’re calling it the store of the future.”
It boasts new banquet rooms, an upgraded restaurant with lots of available seating, a beer garden with more than a dozen beers on tap, 10 social rooms that can fit up to 20 people for virtual games, and a WOW wall he said will be 10 feet larger than the one at the Ward location.
“We’ll also have an emersion room, full emersion room, where the floors, walls and ceilings will be all interactive. Something that nobody’s ever seen before,” he said. “It’s new, there’s no other concept that has it. It’s specifically for Dave & Busters.”
According to Shimabukuro, the new location will provide more versatility and lots of space to play because its bigger.
“That space, if I’m not mistaken is about 210 square feet larger than our current location, and it will feel like it cause its all on one level,” he explained.
Shimabukuro said they already have their liquor license they’re just waiting on their construction permit to start building.
“We have a projected opening of April next year barring construction delays,” he said. “We’ll see what happens. So far so good.”
As for the current location, it is open, and Shimabukuro said it will remain open at least until the grand opening of the new store at Ala Moana.
He said they will be hiring.
“Currently I have about 160 employees with managers. We plan on ramping up to about 250 for the opening at Ala Moana.”
There are questions about the future of Ward Entertainment Center after Dave & Buster’s opens at Ala Moana.
In a statement a spokesperson for Ward Village said: “We have experienced excellent momentum at our shops and restaurants throughout the summer with several upcoming openings on the horizon. “
They added: “It is not definitive that Dave & Buster’s is moving – they have only announced an additional lease signing at Ala Moana Center.”
Ward Villages is still looking for a tenant to fill the space left by Buca di Beppo that closed in May.
Dave & Buster’s said they are planning a huge grand opening at Ala Moana in Spring 2025.
seems like the owner now supports the music and dance community with having bands there. hopefully at the new store they will build a stage and performance area so that local bands are able to showcase their talent and also build a dance floor so the local dance community can go there and dance spend money and support the venue
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