BENGALURU: Board games, dart games, pool tables, puzzles... restaurants and cafes are trying to bring food and games to one table to help guests unwind and engage, beyond just the regular dance and music. Restaurants in the city are filling the social void created by the pandemic during which physical interaction was minimal. Most of these cafes offer finger foods, including kulfi kabab, noodles, spring rolls and pizza pockets.
Board 4 Bored, a cafe in Basavanagudi, has over 300 types of board games inspired by not just Indian culture but also the US and European cultures. Charging Rs 200 per hour, a group of friends can play three board games at a time. The games include Splendor, Pandemic Iberia, Forbidden Island, Sherlock Holmes, Dixit, Azul, which involve skills and strategies and fall under categories like storytelling, building, navigating, deception, luck etc.
“We started the cafe in July 2020 and the idea was to keep people away from ther mobile phones. The pandemic has affected many of our social skills. We wanted to make people aware of traditional Indian board games and also those inspired by Western and European culture,” says Rachna Rao, co-founders of the cafe.
While board games dominate the gaming space at cafes, here is a dart game that can keep your vision and aim in check. K-OS The GameBar in Koramangala offers dart games that allow you to play cricket, snakes and ladders, and ninja. “The idea is to help people open up and destress from the pandemic blues. We attract the startup crowd which plays the dart game as a team-building activity. It helps freshers break the ice and also understand team dynamics, as they eat, drink and have fun with the dart,” says Aditi Rao, one of the founders of the bar.
Ludo on Cunningham Road, run by sisters Sarah Mouazzam, Sana Mouazzam and Sabah Mouzzam, is based on the popular board game, Ludo. Mouzzam says, “We witnessed a lot of people playing board games, especially ludo during the lockdown. Hence, we decided to start the cafe that will engage people in this game. We will be sticking ludo posters on the table and people can play as they eat.”
Otto’s, a restobar in Marathahalli, is introducing a pool table and board games for guests next month. According to Vineeth Nair, general manager of the bar, the pool table will be kept in a semi-indoor space and board games will be available at every table. He says, “People are looking for more than just music and dance. It’s also important for us to involve people of all age-groups, and not just youngsters. The board games will be in line with that.”