PJ Vogt

So they did. They moved to Dallas, where the rules were different, where their forbidden desire to mate restaurants would be allowed by local regulators. The new spot, this one carried both their names, conjoined now by a fancy ampersand, Dave and Buster's. From there, the rest was restaurant history. That was Buster's story.

And if its obvious pertinence to the solution to this mystery is not clear to you... It wasn't clear to me at the time either. I didn't know what I'd just learned. I couldn't talk to either Dave or Buster directly. Both founders in 2025 have sadly died. And Dave & Buster's corporate was not responding to my emails. But I had another idea, something I wanted to test out at the local franchise.

And if its obvious pertinence to the solution to this mystery is not clear to you... It wasn't clear to me at the time either. I didn't know what I'd just learned. I couldn't talk to either Dave or Buster directly. Both founders in 2025 have sadly died. And Dave & Buster's corporate was not responding to my emails. But I had another idea, something I wanted to test out at the local franchise.

And if its obvious pertinence to the solution to this mystery is not clear to you... It wasn't clear to me at the time either. I didn't know what I'd just learned. I couldn't talk to either Dave or Buster directly. Both founders in 2025 have sadly died. And Dave & Buster's corporate was not responding to my emails. But I had another idea, something I wanted to test out at the local franchise.

Okay, so we're walking in to Dave & Buster's at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. It has more arcades than I've ever seen in any single place in my life. This is actually kind of awesome, I have to say. I visited my local Dave & Buster's with my colleague Hazel just as the doors opened. It's huge. There's so many prizes. It's huge. It's like a cobweb.

Okay, so we're walking in to Dave & Buster's at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. It has more arcades than I've ever seen in any single place in my life. This is actually kind of awesome, I have to say. I visited my local Dave & Buster's with my colleague Hazel just as the doors opened. It's huge. There's so many prizes. It's huge. It's like a cobweb.

Okay, so we're walking in to Dave & Buster's at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. It has more arcades than I've ever seen in any single place in my life. This is actually kind of awesome, I have to say. I visited my local Dave & Buster's with my colleague Hazel just as the doors opened. It's huge. There's so many prizes. It's huge. It's like a cobweb.

They've got Minecraft, Aliens of Armageddon, Pac-Man Battle Royale. They've got axe throwing. Dave & Buster's at casino-esque entertainment prison. No clocks, no windows, engineered to make time disappear while you chase your tickets. I mean, this does seem legitimately fun in a slightly tawdry way.

They've got Minecraft, Aliens of Armageddon, Pac-Man Battle Royale. They've got axe throwing. Dave & Buster's at casino-esque entertainment prison. No clocks, no windows, engineered to make time disappear while you chase your tickets. I mean, this does seem legitimately fun in a slightly tawdry way.

They've got Minecraft, Aliens of Armageddon, Pac-Man Battle Royale. They've got axe throwing. Dave & Buster's at casino-esque entertainment prison. No clocks, no windows, engineered to make time disappear while you chase your tickets. I mean, this does seem legitimately fun in a slightly tawdry way.

Our reason for being here was that we thought that at least one group of people who must have noticed this anomaly would be the employees of the place itself. Imagine their voice notes. Honey, I'm going to my job at Dave and Buster's. What a long day I've had at Dave and Buster's. I ate some chicken wings on my break at my job, which is Dave and Buster's.

Our reason for being here was that we thought that at least one group of people who must have noticed this anomaly would be the employees of the place itself. Imagine their voice notes. Honey, I'm going to my job at Dave and Buster's. What a long day I've had at Dave and Buster's. I ate some chicken wings on my break at my job, which is Dave and Buster's.

Our reason for being here was that we thought that at least one group of people who must have noticed this anomaly would be the employees of the place itself. Imagine their voice notes. Honey, I'm going to my job at Dave and Buster's. What a long day I've had at Dave and Buster's. I ate some chicken wings on my break at my job, which is Dave and Buster's.

I hoped these employees might have some insider information they could share. But as I walked in, I realized there's another question that I didn't even know I had, which is, what kind of customer goes to Dave & Buster's at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday? Which of this bacchanal's many dopamine highs were these people chasing?

I hoped these employees might have some insider information they could share. But as I walked in, I realized there's another question that I didn't even know I had, which is, what kind of customer goes to Dave & Buster's at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday? Which of this bacchanal's many dopamine highs were these people chasing?

I hoped these employees might have some insider information they could share. But as I walked in, I realized there's another question that I didn't even know I had, which is, what kind of customer goes to Dave & Buster's at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday? Which of this bacchanal's many dopamine highs were these people chasing?

Okay, first of all, can I just ask you your name and what you're doing at Dave & Buster's this morning?

Okay, first of all, can I just ask you your name and what you're doing at Dave & Buster's this morning?

Okay, first of all, can I just ask you your name and what you're doing at Dave & Buster's this morning?

Right by the door, a couple, a man and a woman, not drinking, not gambling, just wholesomely playing Dance Dance Revolution. And you were, like, ripping it up. I've never seen anybody do that. How often do you guys come here?