Dave & Buster’s Acquires Main Event Entertainment Chain

With United States COVID-19 case numbers lower than they have been at many points, and with the omicron surge in the rearview mirror, businesses are returning their focus to in-person occasions.

Restaurant and entertainment chain Dave & Buster’s, for one, announced Wednesday (April 6) that it is acquiring Main Event Entertainment, a 50-location indoor entertainment chain, for $835 million.

“As we have come to know [Main Event CEO] Chris Morris, we have been very impressed by his execution capabilities and focus on profitable growth,” said Dave & Buster’s Board Chair and Interim CEO Kevin Sheehan in a statement. “It is clear Main Event has a strong culture that shares many values in common with our own. We very much look forward to joining these two great teams together.”

Across the hospitality industry, in-person experiences are coming back, with the lifting of pandemic restrictions expanding the business opportunity for indoor venues. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 66% of the total population is fully vaccinated (not accounting for boosters).

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It is however worth noting that, at a time when venues struggle to stay staffed, the lifting of these mandates can also pose challenges, sending case numbers rising and increasing the odds that workers will need to stay home to quarantine. In New York, for instance, where the mandate for indoor venues lifted in early March, cases have been trending upward since the change went into effect.

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