EXP Restaurant brings Social Gaming and Dining to Vancouver

Combining food, alcohol and video games sounds like a regular night at my apartment, but if you’re looking for a dining experience that incorporates these and you DON’T want to see me in my underwear, look no further than EXP Bar and Restaurant, opening this summer in Vancouver.

The downtown Vancouver space aims to provide a hub for Vancouver’s diverse gaming community, as well as a fine dining experience for the ‘mature gamer’ (any girlfriend I’ve ever had will tell you this doesn’t exist). The brainchild of Brian Vidovic, Julianna Kolakis and Azlan Mustapha has been a few years in the making, with the 3 coordinating gamer-specific one-off events at first, before settling on the idea for a permanent space where Vancouver gamers could congregate that wasn’t a stuffy Internet cafe or skeezy arcade (I’m looking at you, Movieland).  With assistance from heavy hitters The Fifteen Group, the trio began crafting plans for a truly unique dining experience in a sea of Cactus Earl’s Cafes.

The menu will feature game-themed drinks and food items, as well as the option of having your food cut up and skewered  for your gaming multitasking convenience (once again, I’m looking at you, ex girlfriends) while you play free console games directly from your table. In addition to the food/drink/gaming idea, the restaurant will also aim to be an informational hub for Vancouver’s exploding gaming industry. The idea is already gaining a lot of traction amongst gamers, with tweets and Facebook posts excitedly inquiring as to when the bar is opening.

And when IS that, you ask? After some initial setbacks with contractors and the like, EXP currently has an IndieGogo (the Canadian kickstarter) campaign running to solicit funding for the venture with a July opening on the horizon. If you’re like me and you love alcohol and video games, and you’re ALSO like my ex girlfriends and don’t want to see me in my underwear, make sure you donate to the cause at http://www.indiegogo.com/expbar; they have a ton of perks and rewards available to contributors.

Opening July, 2012

Donate at http://www.indiegogo.com/expbar