A major pub chain is looking to open a potential new venue in Nottingham after receiving funding that would allow them to expand on its existing locations. NQ64 bar group owns pubs across the UK with locations in Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham with a new venue being considered for Nottingham.
NQ64 bars are themed around vintage and retro gaming with many arcade devices inside their venues. The pubs have a great mix of the 80s and 90s gaming nostalgia. Retro gamers will be delighted to note they have everything from Pac-Man to Space Invaders to pinball machines. here is also the option to play a little bit of Sega Megadrive.
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Clint Ghent is the Operations Manager with NQ64 and is based in Cotgrave in Nottingham. He says the company is looking towards the historic Lace Market or Hockley area for the development and that the investment needed to open an NQ64 could be from £700,000 to £1 million.
"We are a city centre destination bar and there is a really great life night here. It's a real no-brainer for any upcoming bar looking to expand. It's a great blend of different types of people from professionals to students. It's been high on our agenda at NQ64," he said.
"We would love to be Lace Market or Hockley as that's our ideal spot. We are a small but growing business where we are going from an independent to a brand. The first bar we opened was Northern Quarter in Manchester for which Hockley is close to.
The bar is described as an 'experience-led' evening that mixes gaming with selected craft beers, themed cocktails and soda. The business was started in 2019 by Matt Robinson and Andy Haygarth in Manchester. It's known for its games, bright neon interiors and extensive drinks menu.
"What we do is straightforward in that we are an arcade bar where we have retro video games like classic arcade games such as Pac Man. We also have modern classics like Time Criss, Guitar Hero, and dance mats. We have between 20 to 30 arcade games in each site along with retro gaming consoles too," Clint explained.
"We have about four or five original Playstations and Megadrive on each site which is the gaming side of things. We have a list of about a dozen gaming-themed cocktails which are all excellent and a decent collection of craft beer. We do snacks, not food, including Pot Noodles in some sites."
The bar will be looking for a late-night license which Clint highlighted could make it tricky as there is less availability. The bar would be trading until the early hours of the morning so that gamers can get stuck into a level or two.
The bar will also be creating 15 new jobs for locals. NQ64 has recently been awarded £2.5 million in funding from finance providers ThinCats which will allow it to expand. As well as Nottingham, the brand is thought to be considering locations in Leeds, Bristol, Bath, Reading, Belfast, Sheffield and Brighton as well as other London sites. They just opened a successful Soho location earlier this year.
"We've viewed a handful of sites and we have a few good options but it's waiting for the right site at the right time," Clint said.
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