Mike’s Place has added a wide selection of new board games to its inventory and has started advertising the availability of games to the public this month.
“It’s not just about drinking and dining, it’s about socializing. It’s about feeling comfortable,” said George Koneval, manager of Mike’s Place. “Games are fun and add some entertainment.”
He said they already have regular customers who come to play board games and with the new selection, he’s hoping to attract more of that clientele.
Although board games have been available at Mike’s Place for a number of years, Justine Mallah, vice-president (operations) of the GSA, said it hasn’t been popular in the past because students were not aware.
“Not many people know about the board games,” she said, adding she was a regular customer and didn’t realize they were available until the second year of her masters degree.
She said the idea to bring in more games came from the success of a games night as part of Welcome Week in September as well as the growing popularity of board games cafés in Ottawa.
She said the goal going forward is to let people know the games exist. The promotion boost began the first week of November.
Ryan Lux, a bartender at Mike’s Place agreed board games haven’t been “super popular,” with the exception of Guess Who and chess.
With the boost of promotion and greater variety, he said this may be changing.
“People play them now if they are bored sitting at the bar. We do have some regulars, there’s a group that comes in every week to play new board games, ones I’ve never even heard of,” he said.
Mallah, like Koneval, said she hopes this will add to the social and laid back environment of Mike’s Place and attract more customers.
“We thought it would really add to the comfortable atmosphere,” she said. “I’m sure a lot of people will benefit from the socializing and being able to play different games.”
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